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4 ‘why, ELESS — MY STARS ! * * 

I 






TRUDY AND 
TIMOTHY 
OUT-OF-DOORS 

By Bertha Currier Porter 

Author of “Trudy and Timothy' * 



Illustrated by 
May Aiken 


THE PENN PUBLISHING 
COMPANY PHILADELPHIA 
1919 


* 

' 3 > 
> ^ 


COPYRIGHT 
1919 BY 
THE PENN 
PUBLISHING 
COMPANY 



Trudy and Timothy Out-of-Doors 

-2 1319 

©CI.A529727 


Introduction 


Dear Boys and Girls : 

In the first book of this series, “ Trudy 
and Timothy/’ you made friends with the peo- 
ple of the little New Hampshire village, Todd’s 
Ferry. 

With Timothy, you welcomed his cousin 
Trudy to the big white farmhouse where he 
lived with Grandmother and Grandfather, when 
she came, all alone, from Boston. And during 
the year that Trudy’s mother was helping Father 
to get well and strong, in Florida, you enjoyed 
the good times with Mr. Johnston, who looked 
and acted so much like Santa Claus ; with his 
sister, Miss Margaret, whom the children called 
the White Lady because, although she was young 
and pretty, she had lovely white hair; with 
Amos, and Mr. Turner ; with the school-chil- 
dren ; with Lamey, Timothy’s pet hen ; and at 
last, you were glad when, among all the fun of 
3 


INTRODUCTION 


4 

Hallowe’en, Trudy's father and mother came to 
the little red house, to live there in Todd's 
Ferry and in that way to make Trudy's wish 
come true. 

This book tells of new people who came to 
the village, what they did there, and who 
helped them ; of play that was really work, and 
of work that was like play, and of all the things 
that happened as the result of one busy, happy, 
surprising summer. 


Contents 


I. 

May-Baskets 



9 

II. 

Francis . 



21 

III. 

Plans for the Summer . 



34 

IV. 

The Caterpillar Hunt 



44 

V. 

Up the Creek 



57 

VI. 

Secrets of the Meadow 



69 

VII. 

Parents’ Day 



82 

VIII. 

Visiting Aunt Theresy 



94 

IX. 

The Yellow Automobile 



107 

X. 

Timothy’s Secret Passage 



119 

XI. 

The Movie Village 



I 3 I 

XII. 

Francis Goes Away 



*43 

XIII. 

Trudy’s Misfortune 



154 

XIV. 

Invalids . 



165 

XV. 

Indians . 


0 

1 77 

XVI. 

Preparations for — 



191 

XVII. 

— The Exhibition 

• 


203 


5 



Illustrations 


PAGE 

“Why, Bless — My — Stars!” . . . Frontispiece 

Map of Todd’s Ferry 24 

w It Takes an Awful Lot of Time ” . . 40 

He Cut a Trap-Door 128 

She Filled Her Jars With the Fresh Blue- 
berries 158 

The Audience Caught the Idea . . .215 

Trudy and Timothy Out-of-Doors 


7 



Trudy and Timothy Out-of- 
Doors 


CHAPTER I 

MAY-BASKETS 

Timothy was very busy in the shed-attic. 
This was his own particular place ; here he kept 
his tools, his old paint-pots and brushes that 
Amos had given him, bits of wood, wheels from 
broken carts, and all kinds of odds and ends 
which he used to build farm wagons, hay carts, 
ploughs, and many other implements like 
Grandfather's big ones. 

On this Friday afternoon he was making 
something entirely different. He had begged 
some cigar boxes from Mr. McAdam, the store- 
keeper, and now he was cutting each one into 
thirds and gluing on extra pieces to make little 
9 


IO TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

oblong boxes. When they were done, he ran 
down the steep stairs and out into the road to 
look for Trudy. 

She was coming across the field from her 
house, and she carried a square basket. 

“ I found blue violets and white violets,” she 
called, “ and some perfectly lovely catkins, and 
some fuzzy little ferns, too. Are the boxes 
done?” 

“ As soon as the glue hardens they’ll be ready 
to fill,” replied Timothy. “ There’s a cart full 
of wood dirt right around the corner. Aunt 
Helen said she wanted what we didn’t use, so I 
got a whole lot while I was about it.” 

“ Yes, Mother’s going to have a lovely garden 
this summer! Oh, Timothy, aren’t you glad 
that Father and Mother and I are living in 
Todd’s Ferry, in our dear little red house, in- 
stead of going back to Boston ? ” 

“ Sure — but I’m hungry. Let’s ask Grand- 
mother for some plum doughnuts while the 
May- baskets are drying.” 

Trudy and Timothy were cousins and were 
both named Todd. “ T. and T. Todd,” it said 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


ii 


on the sign over the little store where they had 
sold post-cards and candy to the boarders the 
summer before. 

Grandmother had said that Trudy’s father 
always used to hang May-baskets on May Day 
when he was a little boy on this very same farm, 
so Trudy and Timothy had decided at once that 
they must make some May-baskets and leave 
them at the doors of their friends. Mother had 
suggested using substantial little boxes and fill- 
ing them with really, truly spring flowers, in- 
stead of making the fancy paper baskets that 
Grandmother had described ; and, because Tim- 
othy liked to hammer and saw, and because 
Trudy loved to pick flowers, they agreed to this 
plan. 

When they went into the kitchen to get their 
plum doughnuts, Mother was there, talking to 
Grandmother. 

“ Here they are now,” she said. “ Oh, chil- 
dren, I was wondering if you could make 
three more baskets. I’d like one of all white 
violets, and one of just May-flowers — I have a 
green basket with a glass in it that we can use 


12 


TRUDT AND T1M0THT 


for that one — and Father wants one with a fern 
and some purple violets.” 

“ Can we, Timothy ? ” 

“ Of course — I guess there are enough made. 
I have twelve all ready.” 

Trudy thought a minute. “ We want one for 
Miss Fields — we can’t leave out teacher ! And 
one for — you know, Timothy ” 

“ And one for — you know, Trudy ” 

“ Yes, and there’s Mr. Turner, and Mr. 
McAdam, because he gave us all the boxes, and 
Amos, and Belle Perkins.” 

“ Well, that’s all, and that’s only seven. If 
you’ve picked stuff enough to fill them, we’re 
all right.” 

Just then Father came in, carrying a paper 
bundle very carefully. 

“ I happened to see these by the side of the 
road as I was driving up from the station,” he 
explained, “ and I thought perhaps they would 
help out on the May-baskets.” 

In the paper were three or four clusters of thick- 
leaved plants with starry blossoms of lavender, 
pink and white growing on long hairy stems. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


!3 

“ Hepatica ! ” exclaimed Grandmother. “ I 
didn’t know they grew here.” 

“ Only in one place,” said Father. “ I re- 
membered finding them years ago, so I drove 
around to see if they were still there. I wanted 
them for a very special purpose.” 

“ Oh, aren’t they lovely ! Who’s going to 
have them ? ” cried Trudy. 

Father laughed. “ Never you mind,” he 
said. “ You and Timothy fill all the baskets 
you have, not forgetting Mother’s, and this 
hepatica one for me, and bright and early to- 
morrow morning I’ll take you both out May- 
basketing.” 

It was almost supper-time, so Mother and 
Father helped fill the boxes, while Grandmother 
brought out some green crepe paper to tie around 
them and cover the wood. When they were all 
done and in a row on Timothy’s work-bench in 
the shed-attic, they looked just like a long nar- 
row strip of the spring woods. 

Father and Trudy drove over for Timothy 
right after breakfast. They put the May- 
baskets in a wooden box in the back of the 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


14 

wagon and covered the box with a piece of bur- 
lap. Trudy was on the seat with Father. 
There was plenty of room for Timothy, but he 
preferred to stand beside the box and hold onto 
the back of the seat. He was to leave the May- 
baskets, and he said it would be easier to jump 
over the tail-board than to climb over the wheel. 

First they drove to Mr. Turner’s. There was 
no one in sight. Timothy took a May-basket, 
filled with blue violets and willow catkins, 
jumped out, ran up to Mr. Turner’s front door, 
set the basket on the step, pulled the door-bell 
and scampered back to the wagon as fast as he 
could. Father started almost before Timothy 
had scrambled in, but Mr. Turner, working in 
his garden, had heard the wheels, and came 
around the corner of the house. He called after 
them, but they only waved their hands and 
pointed to the steps. He looked, and as they 
drove away, they saw him pick up the May- 
basket and turn it around admiringly. 

When he had gone in to show his surprise to 
the housekeeper, Father turned the horse, and 
drove back, very slowly and quietly, to Grand- 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


*5 

father's, where Timothy left a large, fragrant 
basket for Grandmother. And they went up 
the wood road and left one for Mother at the 
little red house. Mother was baking pies, and 
when she heard the wheels she thought it was 
the boy from the store, and was ever so surprised 
to find the May-basket. Her basket was white 
violets and May-flowers. 

In the village they went to Belle Perkins' 
house and to the store ; Father asked for the 
mail, and while Mr. McAdam was looking into 
the box to be sure he had taken out all the 
letters, Trudy slid his May-basket across the 
counter. Wasn’t he pleased! He said Timothy 
did a good job to make such pretty May-baskets 
from cigar boxes. 

Miss Fields boarded near the schoolhouse, and 
after they had left hers Father kept on instead 
of turning toward home. 

“ Have you some more errands, Father?" 
asked Trudy. 

“ Why, yes," he said, “ I'm going to hang my 
May-baskets now ! " 

They left the stage road, driving by a dismal 


1 6 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

looking pond that Trudy had never seen ; the 
road was bad, and the stone walls on either side 
were broken in places. Father looked at them 
and sighed. “ Too bad this place couldn't be 
kept up," he said. 

Trudy was watching the birds fly across the 
road ahead. Suddenly they turned a sharp 
corner, and she cried out in delight. 

“ Oh, Father, look at the tall, tall trees ! ” 

The road stretched straight before them, with 
thick woods on both sides. A quarter of a mile 
away, towering over the maples, the birches and 
the beeches, were seven gigantic evergreen trees. 
Straight up grew their great trunks, and the big 
branches that finally sprang from them looked 
like feathery plumes against the blue sky. The 
other trees seemed like little bushes below them. 

“ I know where we are," exclaimed Timothy. 
“ Those are the big pines, only they're not all 
pines — for one is a hemlock. There is a house 
right beyond them, on the other side, but nobody 
lives there. This road runs back to the village. 
The schoolhouse is right over there, Trudy." 

But Trudy was still watching the wonderful 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


1 7 

trees. As she came nearer she had to look right 
overhead into the bright sky. Father drove out 
to one side, and they got out of the wagon and 
walked over to the big trees that grew in a group 
very near the road. One was much the largest, 
though all were big enough to completely hide 
a person standing behind them. 

“ Join hands / 7 suggested Father ; “ let's meas- 
ure the big one." 

But — they couldn't reach half-way round. 
The bark was rough and ridgy, with great 
cracks making patterns all over it. It scratched 
their hands. 

Timothy ran ahead. “ Uncle Sam," he called, 
“ somebody is living in this house. The door is 
open, and there is a cat in the yard." 

“ Hush — h-u-s-h !" said Father. “ Come back 
here ! Get me my hepatica May-basket." 

Trudy and Timothy ran for the wagon. 
Timothy hitched the horse to a tree, and they 
followed Father up the road. 

“ Now you children keep out of sight," he 
cautioned them. “I don't want my surprise 
spoiled." 


1 8 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

He crawled along behind the bushes, crouch- 
ing low, until he reached the edge of the open 
grass-plot before the house ; then he ran swiftly 
to the front door, set his basket on the door- 
stone, tapped with the brass knocker, and ran 
back to where Trudy and Timothy were wait- 
ing. 

In a minute a little old lady came out the 
open door. She pushed her spectacles onto the 
top of her head, and looked up and down the 
road. Then she looked down at the door-stone, 
and then — she said “ Oh-h-h ” and stooped and 
picked up the hepatica May-basket in both 
hands. 

Father beckoned to Trudy and Timothy, and 
ran up to the door. 

“Like it, Aunt Theresy?” he laughed. 
“ Like hepatica just as well as ever? ” 

She pulled her spectacles into place and stared 
at Father. 

“ Why, bless — my — stars ! ” she said, “ if it 
isn't little Sammy Todd, grown up to be a 
man ! ” 

And what do you think Father did ? He 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


19 

picked that little old lady right up in his arms 
and gave her a bear-hug and a kiss I 

She had to hold the basket away out to 
one side to keep it from being crushed. When 
she was laughing and smoothing her hair and 
straightening her spectacles, Father drew Trudy 
forward. “ This is my little daughter, Gertrude, 
Aunt Theresy,” he said. 

Aunt Theresy stooped to kiss Trudy, and 
Timothy began backing toward the road. He 
was afraid she would try to kiss him. But she 
didn’t — she put out her hand, saying, “ Then 
this must be Jonas’s grandson. How do you do, 
sir? I don’t believe I know your name.” 

“ Timothy,” he answered promptly, very proud 
to be called “sir.” He decided at once that he 
was going to like Aunt Theresy tremendously. 

“ So you’re back in Todd’s Ferry, Sammy,” 
she was saying to Father. “ I’ve been away so 
long myself that I shall have to get acquainted 
all over again. I’ve been here only a week. 
Who told you I was back ? ” 

“ Amos — we get all our news from Amos.” 
She laughed. “ He stayed to dinner with me 


20 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


yesterday, and had some of his own fish. I do 
know more than I did before he came. But 
won't you all come in?" 

“ Not this morning," Father answered. “ We 
haven't hung all our May-baskets yet. Some 
other day we'd be delighted." 

The children had caught glimpses through 
the open door that made them want to see Aunt 
Theresy's house very, very much, so when she 
said, “ You must all come over very soon," 
Trudy answered quickly, “ Oh, yes’m, we will," 
and Timothy said, “ We’d be pleased to," just 
as he had heard Amos reply to Miss Margaret 
when she asked him to the Hallowe'en party. 

When they drove away, Timothy climbed 
over the back of the seat and crowded Trudy 
nearer to Father. He was so full of curiosity 
he could not wait another minute. 

“ Uncle Sam," he demanded, “ tell me all 
about that Aunt Theresy ! I never knew there 
was such a person in Todd's Ferry. And where 
did she get all those things that I saw in the 
parlor ? " 


CHAPTER II 


FRANCIS 

“What did you see in the parlor ?” asked 
Father. 

Trudy and Timothy answered together. 

“ A shiny little ship in a glass case ” 

“ A figure of a man, no bigger than my doll 

Judith, and he carried a bundle ” 

“ And a great round thing, all white and 
crinkly ” 

“ And a feather fan on the table ” 

“ Wait — wait — wait/ 1 begged Father. “ One 
thing at a time, please.” 

“ Well, tell us where they came from, Uncle 
Sam. And who is Aunt Theresy ? ” 

“ All those things that you saw, and many 
others, were brought from foreign ports by Aunt 
Theresy’s grandfather, who was a sea-captain. 

He lived in Salem ” 

21 


22 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


“ Oh,” interrupted Trudy, “ Salem, near Bos- 
ton, Father ? Where we went to the museum, 
and where the witches lived ? ” 

“ Yes, and he was only one of many captains 
who sailed their ships to India and China, and 
brought home cargoes of silk, spices and tea. 
The little figure that you saw, Trudy, was a 
model of a Chinese coolie, or laborer, carrying 
two chests of tea, perhaps to a ship waiting to 
come back to Salem. And the glittering ship 
in the glass case was made of glass ; masts, spars 
and ropes are tiny threads of spun glass. The 
round white thing was coral. Some day we will 
all go to see Aunt Theresy and she w&l tell us 
the stories of her treasures. When I was a little 
boy I used to love to visit her, and I remember 
ever so many things she used to show me. She 
has been away from Todd's Ferry for more than 
ten years, taking care of a relative, but now she 
has come back here to live.” 

“ She's a darling, I think,” said Trudy. “ I 
hope we go to see her soon.” 

They had been driving along a wooded road, 
and the children had not noticed where they 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


2 3 

were going. Now they came out into a clearing. 
On one side of the road was a great open field 
which climbed to the top of a hill. Here and 
there were small pointed evergreen trees. They 
drove by this clearing and around the hill. 

“ I don't know where we are ,” said Trudy. 
Timothy saw Father smile, so he looked sharply 
about to see if he could find some familiar land- 
mark. Just ahead of them, on the hillside, was 
a great white house. A flag was flying from a 
tall pole, and smoke was coming out of the 
chimney. 

“ Jiminy crickets ! ” he shouted. “ Look, 
Trudy ! There is the big house, and the Johns- 
tons are here ! ” 

Trudy tried to shake her father. 44 You knew 
all the time,” she declared, “ and so did Mother. 
That's why she wanted the white violet May- 
basket — for the White Lady. But, oh dear me, 
we ought to have a red and green one for my 
Santa Claus man. And there aren't any red 
berries in this open place.” 

Father stopped the horse under a tree that 
overhung the road. He reached out and picked 


24 TRTJDT AND TIMOTHY 



Map of Todd’s Ferry 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


*5 

some twigs with feathery, crimson blossoms on 
them. “ Put these in with the young ferns,” he 
said ; “ they are red, though perhaps not the 
regular Santa Claus shade. But fresh red maple 
blossoms are much more in season for May- 
baskets than left-over berries from last year.” 

Trudy arranged the basket, while Timothy 
found the one with the white violets. 

“ Here’s that pink one that Aunt Helen made, 
Trudy. We shan’t use that, and — oh, here’s 
Amos’s too. We must take that down to him 
this afternoon.” 

“ I don’t know about the pink one,” Trudy 
answered slowly ; “ Mother doesn’t usually make 
mistakes. It must be for somebody. Father, 
do you know who is going to have that pink 
May-basket? ” 

But just then Father discovered that a man 
had come out on the piazza of the big house and 
had seen them down on the road and was waving 
both arms high over his head. 

“ It’s my Santa Claus man!” exclaimed 
Trudy. “ Oh, Father, hurry — hurry ! ” and she 
waved her arms, and Timothy stood up behind 


26 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


the seat and waved the piece of burlap, while 
Father tickled the horse with the whip to make 
him trot, and then he waved too. 

By the time they had climbed the winding 
driveway and reached the house, the White 
Lady was leaning over the piazza railing, calling, 
“ Oh, Trudy, oh, Timothy, oh, Mr. Todd — come 
right up and tell us everything that has hap- 
pened in Todd’s Ferry all this long winter ! ” 
There was no use in trying to surprise them 
with May-baskets, so Trudy gave the red and 
green one to Mr. Johnston and told him it was 
his welcome home. Timothy brought the white 
violet one to Miss Margaret and they all talked 
at once and so fast that they never noticed that 
Father was carrying the pink one. 

Miss Margaret hugged them both, and Mr. 
Johnston shook hands with Timothy and felt of 
his arm to see how fat he had grown ; then he 
gave Trudy a great bear hug and swung her high 
in the air. And as she looked down, she saw, be- 
hind him, sitting in a big chair, a strange boy. 

“ Oh,” she gasped in surprise. And just then 
Miss Margaret led Timothy up to the boy and 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


27 

said, “ Children, this is our friend, Francis 
Lang. The doctor wanted him to be out-of- 
doors all summer, and we could not think of a 
nicer outdoors place than Todd’s Ferry, so we 
brought him along with us.” She put her arm 
around Trudy, who had come close to her. “ I 
hope you will do all you can to make him love 
the place as well as we do.” 

Trudy and Timothy simply looked at each 
other. They could not say a word. Each one 
was thinking a very sober thought. “ How 
could they possibly give Francis a good time — 
and out-of-doors, too ! ” For Francis was sitting 
in a wheel-chair. He could not walk ! 

Francis did not wait for them to speak first. 
He gave a quick push to the big wheels and was 
beside them. “ How do you do, Trudy and 
Timothy Todd ? ” he said, smiling at them. 
“ I’m awfully glad to see you. I’ve seen your 
pictures, and the store, and the aeroplane man 
and — oh, I feel as if I knew Todd’s Ferry quite 
well already. Isn’t this a fine piazza? I can 
go all around the house, you see, and chase the 
sun and run away from the rain,” 


28 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


Trudy turned to Father. He had the pink 
May-basket all ready. She gave it to Francis, 
saying, “ My mother must have known you 
were coming. She made this May-basket, but 
she did not tell us who was going to have it. 
I know it’s yours. We’ve been wondering about 
it Oh, be careful,” as Francis lifted the fra- 

grant blossoms to his face, “ there is a vase in the 
basket. The flowers are in water to keep them 
fresh. We’ll bring you some more flowers to- 
morrow,” she added. 

“ And I hope you will bring Lamey up 
to see me, Timothy,” said Francis. “ I never 
saw a pet hen. Will she let folks touch 
her?” 

“ Sure — I’ll bring her up in her old covered 
chaise,” agreed Timothy. 

Father and the Johnstons went down into the 
garden. “ Come on round the other side,” sug- 
gested Francis, “ and see the new bird bath. 
Mr. Johnston unpacked it the first thing. You 
know there will be heaps of birds coming along 
every day now, and a bath will be just what 
they want after their journey. I know we were 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


29 

glad enough to have one after we came up from 
the south.” 

He spun his chair along the piazza and 
around the corner so swiftly that the children 
had to run to keep up with him. Timothy 
began to think that living in a wheel-chair 
was not such a terrible thing, after all. They 
stopped by the railing and looked down on Miss 
Margaret's garden. Just now it was mostly 
brown earth, with tiny green shoots showing 
here and there ; irregular piles of rocks, over 
which green vines would climb later in the sea- 
son, and beds of tulips and jonquils, with fat 
green buds. And everywhere were winding 
paths of soft fresh green grass. Miss Margaret 
always said she loved to walk on grassy paths. 

In the center of the garden was a little oval 
pond, with a fountain in the middle. The pond 
was so small that you could stand on the bank 
and, with a long-handled rake, turn the lever 
that controlled the fountain — but then you had 
to scamper not to get a wetting, because the 
water flowed from a spring high up on the hill 
and came with great force, and the little fountain 


TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 


3 ° 

was very lively. There was no water in the 
pond now because Bill was working on the 
pipes, putting in a branch to supply the new 
bird bath. Bill was almost a man now. When 
Trudy had first come to Todd's Ferry he had 
been a big boy, working in the store for Mr. 
McAdam, but after Amos Bean had bought Mr. 
Haddock's fish route Bill had taken Amos's 
place as painter and general man-of-all-work for 
the village. 

“Oh, there's Bill," said Trudy. She was just 
going down to watch him when something 
Timothy said made her decide to stay. 

“ Can't you walk at all ? " he asked Francis. 

“ Oh, Timothy ! " Trudy rebuked him. 

But Francis didn't mind. He answered 
eagerly. “ I can't now," he said, “ but I'm go- 
ing to pretty soon. I haven't walked since I 
was a little boy — I'm fourteen now — but next 
August a great surgeon is coming to America 
from France, and Mr. Johnston heard about it, 
so he wrote and asked him if he could do any- 
thing for me. Mr. Johnston has known my 
father and mother for a long time. The surgeon 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


3 1 

said he had cured two or three French boys just 
like me and when he came to America he could 
cure me, but that all this summer I must be 
out-of-doors in the country to get strong for the 
operation. The stronger I am the quicker I 
shall get well and be able to walk. Father 
didn’t have money enough for the operation or 
to send me to the country, so the Johnstons 

brought me up here, and ” 

“ Isn’t that just like the Santa Claus man ! ” 
cried Trudy. 

“ Santa Claus man? Oh, I know — that is 
your name for Mr. Johnston, and doesn’t it just 
fit him? And he even looks like Santa Claus, 
doesn’t he? ” 

“ He looks like him, and he acts like him. 
He gave us the little red house where we live, 
and he gave a radiopticon to Todd’s Ferry — we 
use it at the Town Hall and have lectures with 
pictures, and in Sunday School we have it to 
show the Christmas Story and at Easter, and 
Miss Fields lets us have it in school sometimes. 
I love to see pictures, don’t you ? ” 

“ I like moving pictures best.” 


3 2 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


“ Once a year there is a man who comes with 
a moving-picture show,” said Timothy. “ He 
holds it two nights in the Town Hall, and after 
he shows us the pictures he sells medicine. But 
Grandmother never buys any of him, because 
she says you can't tell what there is in it.” 

The grown folks came back now and Father 
said it was time to go. “ How are you getting 
on ? ” he asked. “ Have you learned all about 
each other ? ” 

“ Uncle Sam,” said Timothy, very earnestly, 
“ Francis can't walk now, but he's going to after 
August, and then we are going to take him all 
around and show him everything.” 

“ Why wait for that?” said Father. “ If 
Francis can't go to see things, why don't you 
bring things to him? Of course, you couldn't 
bring our red house or Grandfather’s barn or 
the lake, but you can bring pictures of those— 
what is a camera for ? And you can bring, well 
— Lamey, and Snowball, and all kinds of flowers, 
fresh fish from the lake for breakfast — oh, I 
could think of several things.” 

Francis's face was aglow with excitement. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


33 

“ Oh, would you ? ” he cried. “ For all that I 
know about so many things is only what I have 
read in books. I brought my flower books and 
bird books, and we can look up all the things 
we don’t know. And if you have some reason 
for coming, you kids will come oftener.” 

Father put his arm around the lame boy’s 
shoulders. “ We shall come so often that we 
shall wear out our welcome,” he said. “ You 
can’t keep the people of Todd’s Ferry away 
from the Johnstons.” 


CHAPTER III 


PLANS FOR THE SUMMER 

“ You can't keep the fish-man away," said a 
voice below them, and Amos came up the steps 
from the garden. “ Hello, Trudy. Hello, Tim- 
othy. Hanging May-baskets, I see. I've hung 
two myself, one for Snowball and one for Dilly. 
Mine didn't have ferns and flowers in them, 
though. Had something that begins with the 
same letter — something that cats prefer." 

“ I know," exclaimed Trudy. “ Fish ! " 

“ Don't see how you guessed it. But aren't 
you going to introduce our new friend here ? 
I'll have to guess his name. I guess it may be 
Francis." 

“ That's right," said Timothy. “ And, Fran- 
cis, this is Amos Bean ; he drives the fish-cart, 
and he sells peanuts too, only he gives away a 
lot of them. He lets us ride around with him, 

and maybe he'll let you go too " and then 

poor Timothy stopped suddenly and his face 
34 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


35 

grew very red. It was so hard to remember 
that Francis was lame and could not do one 
single thing like other boys. 

But Amos was shaking hands with Francis 
and talking busily, so Trudy and Timothy ran 
down into the garden to see the new bird bath. 
Miss Margaret was walking about, planning 
where to plant her seeds. She told Timothy to 
be sure and ask Grandmother if she would give 
her a bit of the old-fashioned pink ; she asked 
Trudy to remind Mother that she had promised 
her a white geranium ; she told Father that he 
and Mr. Johnston must drive to an old aban- 
doned farm for some more lilac bushes. 

“ Gracious ! ” exclaimed Amos. “ Just hear her 
give orders. She’ll be telling me to bring up a 
whale for the pond next. I’m going home.” 

Mr. Johnston wanted Father to stay, so the 
children rode home with Amos. Mother asked 
him to dinner. Timothy stayed too, and Amos 
told them about Aunt Theresy. 

“ The big trees belong to her,” he said. “ They 
have been in her family ever since the white 
men came to Todd’s Ferry. Aunt Theresy’s 


36 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

ancestors were among the first families to settle 
here. The first Hinton — her name is Theresa 
Hinton, though every one calls her Aunt Ther- 
esy — came from England, and with a few neigh- 
bors, pushed his way into this pleasant land. 
There were Indians here then, the Penacook 
tribe, but they were friendly and knew forest- 
craft that the white men found invaluable ; the 
white men could teach the Indians many things 
to help them, so they got along splendidly. 
The first house in Todd’s Ferry was built on the 
shore of the lake, about opposite the location of 
Todd House. You can see where the old cellar 
used to be, just a little hollow in the ground 
now, near the road, with pine trees growing in 
it to-day. 

“The Hintons owned many acres of land, but, 
little by little, they had to sell it, until now all 
there is left is Aunt Theresy’s house and the 
land about it, a wood lot, and perhaps fifteen or 
twenty acres where the big trees are. There are- 
more of those trees, Trudy, on the hill ; some 
day we’ll go and see them.” 

At school, the following Monday, the children 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


37 

told the rest of the boys and girls about Francis. 
The boys were not very interested, because he 
could not play ball, and they were looking for a 
good pitcher for the Todd’s Ferry Ball Team. 
The girls felt sorry for Francis and wondered 
what they could do. At last they asked Miss 
Fields. She had organized the pupils and 
planned some work for the summer, nice out- 
door things. The boys were to destroy all the 
tent-caterpillar nests that they could find, and 
the girls were to can fruit and vegetables. In 
the autumn there was to be an exhibition at the 
Town Hall. The boys, besides destroying cater- 
pillar nests, were to raise vegetables and fruit for 
the girls to preserve. Trudy and Belle and May 
could not see any place for Francis in these 
plans. 

Miss Fields thought a minute. “ Did he like 
the bird bath ? ” she said. “ And he said he 
had flower and bird books? I think I can find 
plenty for Francis to do,” she said decidedly, 
“ as a teacher.” 

“Asa teacher f ” 

“ Yes, of all of us. We will keep our eyes 


38 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

open for birds, and report to Francis. If there 
are any that we don't know/' she laughed here, 
“ I guess there will be a few— we will take notes 
and he can look them up in his books and teach 
us to know them another time. I have no 
doubt that Francis, sitting quietly on his piazza, 
with water and trees to attract the birds, will see 
more kinds than any of you children who can 
run about all over the village. You can have a 
Bird Club — it will work in nicely with the 
Farming and Canning Clubs." 

Francis gladly agreed to be president of the 
Bird Club. Timothy was scornful at first and 
said he guessed he wasn’t going to hunt for any 
old birds, but when Miss Fields asked him if he 
could make some bird boxes like the pictures 
in Francis’s book he became more interested. 
He borrowed the book and worked after school 
for three or four days in the shed attic. He 
made ten bird boxes, and the boys carried them 
around and put them up in the trees. Miss 
Fields kept a record of the locations, and once a 
week the boys went to see if any birds had built 
in any of the boxes. One, made from a little 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


39 

wooden box, with a round hole in one end and 
a slanting roof of bark, was near the Johnston 
piazza where Francis could watch it. And — 
Francis was the first one to discover any birds. 
A pair of bluebirds found this little house and 
moved in without any delay. The other boys 
were cross. They complained to Miss Fields 
that they had run through the woods and 
climbed up on walls and trees to look in the 
nests and never found a bird — never even saw 
a bird anywhere ! 

“ Did you say you ran ? ” inquired Miss 
Fields. “ And made a lot of noise ? Of course 
you did not see any birds. You scared them all. 
Try going quietly and see what luck you have.” 

And when they followed this advice they 
found birds everywhere — though not every nest 
was used that year. But they, and the girls 
too, kept Francis busy looking up birds. 

It was nearly the end of May, and Timothy 
had been helping Grandfather get a piece of 
land ready to plant. Grandfather had ploughed 
while Timothy led the horse ; then Grandfather 
and Father had harrowed the field and spread 


TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 


40 

fertilizer all over it. Now they were all hoeing 
and raking and making hills to drop the corn. 
Timothy could help on that ; he was working 
by the bars now, and Trudy sat on the stone 
wall. 

“ I don't see how we are going to do all the 
things we have planned this summer,” said 
Timothy. “ Got to chase all over the country, 
burning caterpillar nests, and got to raise vege- 
tables and pick berries ; and Grandfather says 
I'm to help him this year. Then there's the 
store. The boarders are beginning to come. I 
saw three trunks on the stage last night. It 
takes an awful lot of time to keep store.” 

“ Wouldn't it be nice if Francis could keep 
the store, and we could have more time for out- 
of-doors ? " 

“ Francis ! ” exploded Timothy. “ How would 
he get down there, I'd like to know, and how 
could he get around to wait on customers and 
make change? Amos can't help us this year 
because he's going to carry fish away over to 
Prattville — he's going there Tuesdays and 
Thursdays.” 



“it takes an awful lot of time” 


























































* 










































. 





































OUT-OF-DOORS 


4 * 

“Come, Timothy/ 1 called Father, “get busy 
with the corn.” 

That night Trudy spoke to Mother about the 
store and told her that Timothy did not want to 
sell post-cards and fudge and maple sugar this 
summer. 

“ And do you ? ” asked Mother. 

“ No — no, I don’t think I do. Oh, Mother 
dear, I have such a good time Saturdays when I 
go up to see Francis and when I am out in the 
woods hunting things for him, too. Miss Mar- 
garet goes, and we see such heaps of things to 
bring home to him. And he shows us things in 
his books and we look for them — oh, Mother, 
did I tell you that we found that partridge’s 
nest ? Amos said there must be one somewhere 
near, and it was right in the old hill-field, 
among the dry grass. It had sixteen eggs in it I 
We’re going to watch, and try to see the little 
babies when they come out. Amos says he 
doesn’t think we can ever do it, for the babies 
run away just the minute they leave the shell, 
but we’re going to try.” 

Mother had a talk with Father after Trudy 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


42 

had gone to bed, and a day or two later she 
went to see Miss Fields ; then Miss Fields came 
up to see Grandmother and Mother, and they all 
talked a long time. At last they called in 
Trudy and Timothy. 

“ Children,” said Mother, 44 how would you 
like to change the partnership on ‘T. and T. 
Todd 9 to a company of several people who 
would all be interested in the business, yet 
would leave you free for out-of-doors? Miss 
Fields is planning to stay in Todd's Ferry this 
summer and have a tea-room in the little cot- 
tage by the lake, near Todd House. She has 
asked me to supply her with jams and jellies to 
serve with her tea — and perhaps some to sell if 
her customers should want any— and she hopes 
Grandmother will make fudge for her. She sug- 
gests that you let her sell the post-cards that 
you have had made, and she will pay you for 
them and for any new ones that you care to make 
during the summer.” 

“ And,” added Father, who was leaning against 
the shed door, “ I've a proposition too. I shan't 
do any heavy farming this year, so I will de- 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


43 

velop your films and print the cards for you, 
and that will save the expense of sending them 
away to be done. I’ll work well and I promise 
you my bill will be very small, because I want 
to see this new firm succeed. And my assistant 
will, too, I'm sure." 

“Who is your assistant ?" demanded Timo- 
thy. “ Who knows how to print photographs 
in Todd’s Ferry ? Nobody could do it here last 
year." 

“ My assistant was not here last year," said 
Father meekly. 

“ Francis ! " exclaimed Trudy in amazement. 
“ Can he do it ? " 

“ He can help," replied Father, “ and he wants 
to be in the firm. What do you say, T. and T. 
Todd? Will you take in some new partners? 
And will you still hunt up good post-card pic- 
tures all over the hills and valleys of Todd’s 
Ferry? That will keep you out-of-doors, you 
know." 

“ I should say — we — would ! " said Timothy 
and Trudy together. 

And so it was settled. 


CHAPTER IV 


THE CATERPILLAR HUNT 

“ All ready ? Forward, march ! ” 

Ben Dobson was speaking, and he was looking 
at the boys from the Todd’s Ferry School. They 
were standing in the road, before Mr. McAdam’s 
store. Several people on the store steps were 
watching them and laughing. 

The boys did look funny. They were all 
ready to begin the caterpillar hunt, and they 
wore their oldest old clothes. Amos had told 
them to wear gloves, not for style, but to protect 
their hands in tearing down the nests. Some 
wore old kid gloves their mothers had given ; 
some wore white cotton and some wore ragged 
woolen ones. Several boys carried brooms, and 
Bill, the big boy from the store, had a long pole 
with a bundle of rags on the end of it. Ben 
Dobson carried more rags and a can of kerosene. 

44 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


45 

They marched up the road. It was Saturday 
morning, and they were off for all day. Mr. 
Johnston had mapped out a route for them. 
To-day they were to take the main road, 
through the village, up by Grandfather Todd's 
and beyond Mr. Turner's house; then to the old 
cellar where the tornado had destroyed the 
buildings a hundred years before. There they 
would have dinner, then come back through the 
fields to the Johnston house, down the path to 
Trudy's and out to the main road again. An- 
other day, they would take the other side of the 
village — out along the stage road and up by 
Aunt Theresy's house to the big trees. 

Every boy knew what he was hunting. Each 
was familiar with the triangular nests of white 
silk, fastened into crotches of trees and bushes ; 
each had seen the black caterpillars lying in the 
tents ; and nearly every boy had destroyed the 
nests at one time or another. They all knew 
that the caterpillars ate the apple tree leaves, 
but not until Mr. Johnston came down to the 
schoolhouse and talked to them did they know 
that the government at Washington had asked all 


46 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

the school children of America to help in kill- 
ing out this pest. Mr. Johnston had told them 
that each moth lays hundreds of eggs on the 
twigs and branches of apple and wild cherry 
trees, covering the eggs with a glistening brown 
liquid that hardens like varnish and protects 
the eggs from the birds. In the spring this 
enormous family eats its way out of the eggs 
and first devours the brown covering that has 
sheltered them. Then — three times a day — just 
like boys and girls, only with appetites a hun- 
dred times greater — the little caterpillars have 
their meals, feasting upon the tender green 
leaves. And how they eat ! Frequently not a 
leaf will be left on the tree, and all summer it 
will stand bare and helpless, with no blossoms 
and no fruit. Mr. Johnston had told them how 
important it was that the trees should be pro- 
tected, and explained just what they were to do. 

The smaller boys would tear down the lowest 
nests, crushing them into the ground and kill- 
ing all the caterpillars. The two big boys, Bill 
and Ben, could use the kerosene torch — the 
bundle of rags on the end of the long pole, 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


47 

soaked with kerosene and set on fire — and burn 
the higher nests. Bill and Ben must be very 
careful not to burn the trees, and every one 
must watch for stray caterpillars who would try 
to crawl away, as each caterpillar might lay 
hundreds of eggs, later, when she had become a 
moth. 

Ben soon divided his company into two 
squads. Each took one side of the road. He 
made a rule that the boy marching ahead 
should take the first nest found, destroy it and 
fall to the rear ; the second boy to take the next 
nest and so on. They made good progress, and 
soon passed Grandfather Todd’s house. They 
all stopped for a drink, and Grandmother had a 
pan of plum doughnuts for them. 

Mr. Turner had heard them coming, and was 
waiting to “ see the procession,” he said. He 
told them he always tried to keep his trees 
clean, but if there were any nests that he had 
skipped he would be very glad to have them 
destroyed. 

Timothy had brought the camera, and was 
planning to take a picture of the boys working 


48 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

in some old orchard, for Miss Fields to sell in 
her tea-room. He wanted to ask Mr. Johnston 
to send one to Washington so the President 
could see that the Todd’s Ferry boys were doing 
their part 

It was about eleven o’clock when they reached 
the old road that led to the ancient cellar. 
This was an unused road, very rough and rocky. 
A brook ran beside it, and three or four boys 
decided to wade. Ben and Bill took a short cut 
through the woods ; Timothy, with Dave Little 
and Henry White, kept on the road. They 
were jumping from rock to rock, over the un- 
even ground, when Dave said “ See that squir- 
rel ! ” 

Just ahead, on a big boulder, in a sunny spot 
beside the road, sat a squirrel, eating a nut. 
Shells were scattered all over the rock, and Mr. 
Squirrel sat up in the midst of them, biting the 
shell away from the nut which he held in his 
paws. Timothy heard a strange noise — a soft 
whirring that came from the woods at one side 
of the road. 

“ What’s that noise ? ” he said. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


49 

“ Oh, I don't hear anything/' said Dave. 
" Come on ! " 

But Timothy held them back. “ Wait," he 
insisted, “ I do hear something.” They stood 
still, listening. Sure enough, there was a queer 
noise in the bushes. They left the road and 
crept up through the woods, and suddenly 
stopped — amazed ! 

There, in an open place under the trees, stood 
a man, with a big queer-looking camera 
mounted on a tripod. He was turning a crank 
in the side of the camera and watching the 
squirrel. But before they could whisper, and 
almost before they could wonder what he was 
doing, they heard a great crashing and shouting 
on the other side of the road and the boys who 
had waded up the brook jumped out from the 
bushes. The squirrel leaped away. The man 
left the camera and ran toward the boys. 

“ What are you doing ? " he shouted. “ What 
do you mean?" 

The boys were as much surprised as he was, 
but he was angry and they were frightened. 
They looked at the strange camera and at the. 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


5 ° 

very cross man and never said a word. Timo- 
thy and Dave and Henry came and stood by 
them. 

“ Oh-ho,” said the man, “ there are more of 
you, are there ? I suppose these woods are full 
of young hoodlums, racing around, scaring the 
squirrel I’ve worked weeks to tame — who are 
you, anyway ? And what are you doing up 
here ? Can’t you play in any other spot than 
the one place I’ve been able to find where I can 
get a good picture of a squirrel ? ” 

“ We aren’t playing,” said Dave Little, indig- 
nantly. “ We are hunting caterpillars ” 

“ Ha— ha — ha ! ” said the man, but it was not 
a laugh. It was more like very cross words. 
“ Hunting caterpillars, are you? Well, let me 
tell you something. You will never catch any 
unless they happen to be deaf — you make too 
much racket.” 

“ Oh, please,” interrupted Timothy, “ we are 
really working. We are the boys from the 
Todd’s Ferry School, and we are destroying the 
nests of tent caterpillars. Up at the end of this 
road is an old orchard that is just alive with 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


5i 

them, and we're going to get rid of them all. 
Uncle Sam wants us to." 

The man really laughed now. “Uncle Sam, 
did you say ? I work for that gentleman my- 
self." 

Timothy walked right up to him. “ You 
work for my Uncle Sam ? I never saw you be- 
fore in my life ! " 

“ I suppose there are thousands of people 
working for Uncle Sam that you never saw, 
young man. I don’t know who you are, but 
the Uncle Sam I mean is the gentleman with 
the tall hat and the starry coat and the striped 
trousers — I’m making moving pictures for the 
United States Government." 

“Oh," exclaimed Henry, “Timothy was talk- 
ing about Mr. Todd. He is his Uncle Sam — 
Mr. Samuel Todd." 

“ My mistake," said the man. “ But you 
spoiled this film, and that’s your mistake. 
What are we going to do about it? My young 
friend, Mr. Squirrel, won’t come back while we 
stand here talking. I imagine he has gone for 
the day. What do you say to inviting me to 


TRXJDT AND TIMOTHY 


52 

your caterpillar hunt ? By the way, aren't you 
working for the government too ? I seem to re- 
member seeing something in the paper about 
asking the school children to help in destroying 
pests." 

“ Sure," said Timothy. “ Mr. Johnston told 
us all about that. I'm going to take a picture 
of the boys at work. I take pictures too. My 
Cousin Trudy takes 'em sometimes. We have a 
store in the village. Maybe you saw it. There's 
a sign over the door that says ‘ T. and T. Todd.' 
We sold post-cards there last summer. My 
uncle is going to make the post-cards for us this 
summer. I never saw a moving-picture camera 
before." 

“ How does it work?" asked one of the 
boys. 

“ Works pretty well," replied the man, “ after 
you get the idea." His eyes twinkled. “ Some 
day I'll show you if you let me know when you 
are coming." He was really a pleasant man, 
and the boys began to like him. 

“Say, Mister " said Dave Little. 

“ Blake." 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


S3 

“ Mr. Blake, we're awfully sorry we spoiled 
your film. We'll pay for it." 

“ I guess not," said the man. 

“ You see, we never guessed there was any one 
around here making moving pictures. We’ll 
be watching for you after this." 

“ Do you live here ? " asked Timothy. 

“ I’m boarding over that way," he replied, 
pointing over his shoulder. 

“Come — on — where — are — you? "came faintly 
down the hill. 

“ There's Bill calling. They are waiting for 
us. Come on, everybody." 

Mr. Blake closed his tripod and shouldered 
the heavy camera. The boys kept close at his 
heels as he climbed the rough road. Soon they 
came out from the woods and saw Bill and Ben 
waiting for them by a pair of old bars. You 
should have seen Bill and Ben stare when they 
saw Mr. Blake. The boys explained all that 
had happened and Ben invited Mr. Blake to 
have lunch with them. 

“ Mr. Johnston and Miss Margaret and Amos 
are over by the old cellar," he said. “ They 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


54 

have brought up sandwiches and boiled eggs 
and lemonade, and they want you to come and 
eat while things are nice and cool.” 

The boys raced across the pasture. The older 
boys walked with Mr. Blake. When the Santa 
Claus man saw them, he hurried to meet them. 

“ Well, well, Stanley Blake,” he greeted him, 
“ here you are ! I'm glad to see you. You 
remember Mr. Blake, don’t you, Margaret? ” 

“ How do you do, Mr. Blake ? ” said the 
White Lady. “ Welcome to Todd’s Ferry. Go- 
ing to take some of your wonderful bird and 
animal pictures here, are you ? ” 

Timothy’s eyes and ears and mouth were wide 
open. Here was something exciting, surely. A 
moving-picture man was almost as good as the 
aviator that Trudy had met the summer before. 
He certainly would have a lot to tell her and 
Francis. 

“ Say, fellows,” he whispered when he went 
back to the boys, “ the Johnstons know that man. 
He takes moving pictures of birds — and they knew 
he was coming, too. They weren’t a bit surprised 
to see him. What do you suppose it all means ? ” 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


55 


“ I wish he’d take a picture of us.” 

“ I’d love to be in a moving picture, wouldn’t 
you, Dave ? ” 

“ Wouldn’t it be funny to see yourself walk- 
ing around?” 

After lunch Mr. Johnston said, “ Now, boys, 
to work ! Just look at those trees ! ” 

And they were a sight — a dozen old scraggly, 
untrimmed trees, dotted all over with glistening 
white nests. 

“ We will watch you and see how well you do 
it,” said Miss Margaret. 

“ I’ll help,” volunteered Amos. “ Ben, you 
give me that torch. Pick out some good high 
nests and show me where they are and I’ll burn 
them up in a jiffy.” 

“ And when you are all through,” called Miss 
Margaret, “ we’ll go down to the house. There 
is a freezer of ice-cream waiting for us.” 

“ Hurrah,” shouted the boys, and ran for the 
trees. They were so intent upon their work 
that they failed to see Mr. Blake set up his 
camera. From one place to another he moved 
it, taking pictures of the whole orchard ; of one 


56 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

tree with sis boys working on it ; of Amos lift- 
ing the blazing torch ; of Timothy scrambling 
up a tree trunk. 

When the nests were all gone the whole party 
went down to the Johnston house. Francis was 
waiting for them, and they told him all their 
experiences while they ate the ice-cream. 

“ Good gracious,” exclaimed Timothy, “ I 
never took a picture for my post-card.” 

“ Never mind/ 7 said Mr. Blake. “ I took one 
for the government — of all you boys in the 
orchard.” 

Then didn't they ask questions ! 

“ When did you do it ? ” 

“ Why didn't we see you when you did it ? ” 

“ Where was I when you took the picture ? ” 

“ Were we all in it ? ” 

“ When may we see it? ” 

“ Are you going to stay here and take pictures 
all summer? ” 

“ Where are you going to work to-morrow ? ” 
But he only laughed, and said he must be 
going, and went away up the hill to find his 
friend, the tame squirrel. 


CHAPTER V 


UP THE CREEK 

“ Timothy — Timothy — come on down and 
help me pick wild strawberries/' called Trudy, 
standing at the foot of the shed-attic stairs. 

“ Can't ! I'm busy." 

“ Oh, please ! Mother's going to make a 
short-cake. And it takes a terrible lot of wild 
strawberries to make a short-cake. She will 
invite you to supper if you help pick them." 

“ I don't care. I'm not coming. Go away 
and don't bother me. I'm making a wheel- 
chair for Lamey." 

Trudy went away to pick her berries and 
Timothy finished his chair. It had been hard 
work. The front wheels of an old cart were all 
right for the larger wheels of the chair, but he 
had been obliged to make the smaller ones. He 
had made four spokes crossing each other, and 
nailed on rims of narrow strips of tin. It 
57 


58 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

looked exactly like Francis’s chair, even to the 
foot-rest and the basket that hung from one 
arm ; but when he tried to spin it over the 
floor, the wheels were too uneven to work well. 
It tipped and bumped and acted very badly. 
But Lamey didn’t seem to care — she really pre- 
ferred it when it did not move at all. Of course 
she couldn’t use the foot-rest. She had to roost 
on the seat. She sat quietly when Timothy put 
her in her new chair, so he took her old covered 
chaise apart and put the new chair on that cart 
body, fastening it in position with cleats. When 
it was all done he and Lamey started up the 
road to find Trudy and show it to her. They 
missed Trudy, but they met Amos, and Timothy 
explained his “ new contraption,” as Amos 
called it. 

Even if he did call it a “ contraption ” and 
laugh at it, Amos was quite interested, and they 
talked a long time there by the roadside, getting 
more and more excited about something. When 
they parted Amos said, “ Give me two or three 
days to see if it works, and then ” 

About a week later, just before school closed, 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


59 

Amos said to Mr. Todd, “ Sam, why don't you 
take Trudy up the creek to-morrow morning? ” 

“ Good idea," agreed Father. “ The creek is 
mighty pretty now. Come along with us, won’t 
you ? ” 

“ Can't this time. I have some business to 
attend to." 

Trudy was delighted. The creek flowed into 
the lake, through grassy meadows, and was 
bordered in places with young trees and high 
bushes. At its mouth it was quite wide, and 
full of lily-pads ; but in the meadows it was 
narrow and shallow, winding about like a snake. 
Only in spring could a boat get up as far as the 
bridge where the road around the lake crossed 
the creek. 

They asked Timothy to go, but he too had 
something particular to do that morning, so 
Father and Trudy started by themselves. They 
walked down to the shore of the lake, where 
the boats lay in a row on a little sandy beach. 
Mother had lent them her opera-glasses, to look 
at the birds, and Trudy had the camera. Ever 
since the day of the caterpillar hunt she and 


6o 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


Timothy had looked everywhere for Mr. Blake, 
but not a sign of him had they seen. They 
could not find out where he was staying either ; 
they were pretty sure that Amos knew, but he 
refused to tell. 

It was a lovely June morning. As soon as 
Father had rowed a little way out into the lake 
Trudy could see the white pond-lilies glistening 
like stars among the dark green pads. She 
knelt in the bow of the boat, with her sleeves 
rolled up to her shoulders, just as Father directed 
her. 

“ Now you watch for the lilies, Trudy," he 
said, “ and tell me which oar to pull. When the 
lily is very close to the side of the boat — when 
it seems as if we were going to run right over it 
— reach down and pick it, but don't lean too far 
out and lose your balance." 

Trudy saw a lovely one, and soon it was di- 
rectly under her hand. 

“ I have it, Father," she cried, and grasped it. 

Something at the bottom of the pond began 
to pull and tug at that lily ; she pulled as hard 
as she could ; the stem stretched like a rubber 


OUT-OF-DOORS 61 

band, and then — snap ! She had the lily, but 
no stem I 

“ Oh, dear, see what happened ! What pulled 
it down, Father ? ” 

He laughed. “ Nothing at all, dear, but I 
forgot to tell you that you must put your hand 
deep in the water, following the stem down un- 
til you get a firm hold and then give a steady, 
strong pull. The stems are very tough and 
elastic, and if you don’t do it right you will 
snap the head off your lily every time. Try 
again on that one over there.” 

Trudy soon learned, and they got twenty 
beauties. They put them under the stern seat, 
out of the sun, and Father rowed slowly through 
the thick mass of pads into the wide mouth of 
the creek. Trudy was looking down into the 
clear water. 

“ Oh, I see so many things under the water, 
Father. Little frogs, and a baby turtle— and 

ever so many tiny fishes Father, can you 

see that long slim fish ? He’s right over there. 
He’s perfectly still. Even his fins aren’t mov- 
ing.” 


62 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


“ He is a pickerel, waiting for his breakfast. 
See those blue flowers, Trudy, near the shore, 
growing right in the water? With the thick 
stalk, and the big arrow-shaped leaf?” 

“ Yes, aren’t they pretty ? Let’s get some.” 

“ I should say not I They don’t smell pretty. 
That is pickerel-weed. The flowers attract the 
bees and insects, while old Mr. Pickerel lies 
quiet among the stems, watching for his meals 
which come to him by the help of those honey- 
laden blue flowers. And Mother Pickerel lays 
her eggs among the leaves.” 

But Trudy was looking through the opera- 
glasses at a bird that was swinging on the top- 
most bough of a tall shrub growing out of the 
water, a little way ahead of them. He was 
black, with a gorgeous bit of red and yellow on 
each shoulder, when he lifted his wings to bal- 
ance on the swaying twig. “ Don’t row, Father,” 
she said ; “ I want to see this bird.” 

“ That is Red-wing — red-winged blackbird. 
If we have good luck we can see his house and 
his wife, and perhaps his eggs. We will just 
; float about here a while and watch.” 


OUT-OF-DOORS 63 

They kept very still. The boat swung slowly 
around in the current, and the bushes at the 
side of the creek scratched and rattled on the 
oars as they lay loose in the rowlocks. 

“ Look,” whispered Father, “ Mrs. Red-wing ! ” 

Behind them, on the lily-pads, stood a brown 
speckled bird, with her head on one side. She 
walked slowly from one pad to another ; they 
sank in the water a little as she stepped on 
them, but never enough to wet her feet. Sud- 
denly she saw the boat and flew away, scolding. 

“ Father, that isn't a blackbird. She is 
brown.” 

“ Trudy, my dear, ever so many kinds of birds 
show entirely different markings, you know 
that. The male or father bird will be bright 
with brilliant colors while the mother bird, the 
female, is dull and inconspicuous. If she looks 
like leaves and shadows, or if she matches her 
nest, she is protected, and that is why nature has 
made the female birds with soft, dusky clothing. 
Isn't ^that a wonderful way of taking care of 
them ? Now we will row along, and you watch 
the bushes for any movement. Perhaps some 


64 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

bird will fly off the nest, and then we shall try 
for a peep at her home.” 

Father rowed leisurely between the winding 
lines of tall green bushes that fringed the creek. 
Trudy had almost given up hope when she 
noticed a branch shaking and shivering just a 
bit ; there was no sound. No bird flew up from 
the spot, but from another bush, several feet 
away, a bird darted and perched on a high 
branch, watching them. Father saw the bird 
and when Trudy had pointed out the place 
where the branch had moved, he turned the 
boat and pushed the stern in among the bushes 
as far as he could. Trudy kept her eye on the 
exact spot. He came up beside her, and pulled 
the boat close to the shore. Then he parted the 
branches, oh, so carefully. Father Red-wing 
flew back and forth above their heads, almost 
brushing their faces with his wings, scolding 
and sputtering in a harsh, squeaky voice. 

“ It is here,” said Father, “ or the birds would 
not be so excited. Yes, I have it. Look, Trudy. 
Hold onto the bushes and lean over this way.” 

There, not more than three feet above the 


OUT-OF-DOORS 65 

water, securely fastened to the twigs of a black- 
alder bush, and looking exactly like a dozen 
masses of dry grass that were caught in other 
parts of the same bush, was the red-winged 
blackbird’s nest. It was made of rough, dry 
grass, but the inside was beautifully lined with 
hair and in this soft hollow lay four pale green- 
ish-blue eggs, marked with faint spots of pur- 
plish brown and black. Both birds were now 
scolding loudly and fluttering about over the 
boat. 

“ Come away, Father,” begged Trudy. “ I 
hate to see them so frightened.” 

Father pushed the boat back into the current. 
“ There, now we have seen everything but the 
little birds. We’ll try to remember just where 
this nest is, and perhaps in a week or two we 
can come up again and see if the eggs have 
hatched. Do you want to go up as far as the 
bridge?” 

There was only one answer to such a foolish 
question, so they went on, twisting and turning 
the boat to get around the curves. Sometimes 
the bow would be digging right into one bank 


66 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


while the stern scraped on the other, and Father 
would have to stand up and push hard with the 
oar to get around the bend. Once they got 
stuck on a sand-bar. Father took off his shoes 
and stockings and rolled up his trousers and 
stood in the brook while he dug the sand away 
with the blade of the oar. Trudy wandered 
about the meadow while he was digging, pick- 
ing flowers to take home to Mother. 

When the boat was finally free, Father said, 
“Now for the bridge. It’s clear sailing. No 
more sand-bars, and very few turns. There it 
is ahead, Trudy. See it?” 

They turned, and as they looked toward the 
bridge, they heard a wagon rattle on the road 
around the lake. Soon they saw it. 

“ What on earth is that?” exclaimed Father. 
They could see that it was a long low wagon, 
with one horse. In the middle of the wagon 
was a single seat, uncovered. They could not 
distinguish the driver, but he was going very 
slowly. Behind the seat was the queerest-look- 
ing contrivance, with another person sitting 
on it. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


67 

“Somebody moving, I guess,” said Father, 
“ and he’s just taking the family rocking-chair. 
That certainly looks like a chair, and somebody 
in it, too. Wonder who’s moving 1 ” 

The wagon disappeared behind some trees. 
For a long way the road was hidden, but now 
and then they could hear the rattle of the wagon 
or the thump-thump of the horse’s hoofs. 

They rowed along and soon were near the 
trees that bordered the meadow by the bridge. 
“ There is an echo here,” said Father. “ It 
strikes the hill over there. When I call, you 
listen for it.” 

He shouted, “ Tru-dy, oh, Tru-dy 1 ” 

Faintly the echo came back from the hill, 
“ Tru-dy, oh, Tru-dy ! ” 

He called again. This time it answered from 
the trees by the roadside, loud and clear, and 
full of laughter. 

“ Tru-dy — Tru-dy ! ” 

Father pulled hard on the oars and the boat 
swung around the trees and up to the bridge. 

There stood a buckboard — the low wagon they 
had seen — with Amos and Timothy on the seat, 


68 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

and on the back was — not the family rocking- 
chair but — the wheel-chair from the Johnstons’ 
piazza, and in it, leaning forward, laughing, 
calling to them, eager and excited, was Francis ! 


CHAPTER VI 


SECRETS OF THE MEADOW 

Father ran the bow of the boat onto a bit of 
a sandy beach near the bridge and jumped out. 
He helped Trudy over the seats and they 
climbed up to the road. 

“ Isn’t this a grand surprise ! ” he said. “ Now 
whose scheme was this, I’d like to know?” 

Timothy opened his mouth to answer, when 
“ Mine,” said Amos, pretending not to see the 
look of surprise and indignation on Timothy’s 
face. 

“ Well ! ” gasped Timothy. 

“ At 'least,” Amos went on, “ I made the 
braces to hold the chair. Of course, the buck- 
board belongs to Jonas Todd, but he had almost 
forgotten he owned one until I remembered it 
for him. I saw the contraption that Timothy 
69 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


7 o 

made and called a wheel-chair for Lamey, and 
that gave me the idea ; but I guess the credit 
belongs to Timothy, after all, for if he hadn't 
invented Lamey's chair I probably should never 
have thought of this chariot for Francis.” 

Trudy was talking to the boys, showing them 
the pond-lilies, and telling them about the red- 
winged blackbird's nest. 

“ So this is the reason that you folks were so 
anxious that Trudy and I should take a trip up 
the creek this particular morning? Well, I, for 
one, am glad we came. What do you think of 
this place, Francis ? ” 

“ Oh, I think it is all great ! And it is such 
fun to get near the trees and the grass. Amos 
drove way out on the side of the road so I could 
touch the branches, and he stopped whenever I 
wanted to. And we saw a woodchuck " 

“ Did you ? ” interrupted Father. “ Tell me 
this then : 

“ How much wood would a woodchuck chuck 
If a woodchuck could chuck wood ? ” 

And Timothy answered like a flash : 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


7 l 


“ Just as much wood as a woodchuck would, 

If a woodchuck could chuck wood ! 19 

While Amos said, “ Pity you can't educate them 
to do it. They could pile up our winter fuel in- 
stead of eating up our gardens.” 

Francis had to learn the jingles, and they all 
tried to teach him at once, and such a jabbering 
you never heard. At last he could say them. 

“ Which way did you come?” asked Trudy. 

“ We drove by your house, and your grand- 
father's and Mr. Turner's. And I saw the be- 
ginning of the old road where you met the mov- 
ing-picture man. When I can walk, I’m going 
up there. And while we were waiting for you 
we've seen the sandpiper up the road there.” 

“ Oh,” exclaimed Trudy, “ I've never seen a 
sandpiper.” 

“ Well, you just stay here a little while and 
you will,” promised Timothy. “ They are little 
brown and white birds, and they’re awfully 
polite. They keep bowing all the time.” 

“ That's teetering,” said Father, laughing. 
u Some people call them 1 teeters.' ” 

“Hark ! ” said Amos. 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


72 

They heard a sweet little double note, “ peet- 
weet, peet-weet.” 

“ There is one now/’ cried Francis, and in a 
minute they could all see the little spotted sand- 
piper, running over a ploughed field, stopping 
now and then to bow politely in all directions. 

“ I wish we could stay here a little while,” 
said Trudy. 

“ Now what do you suppose I worked so hard 
to get you all here for ? ” said Amos. “ Of 
course we are going to stay. This is a fine place 
to observe the landscape — near and far — and I 
have one particular thing to show you all, but it 
will take time.” 

It was a beautiful place, there on the bridge. 
The brook ran lazily through the wide meadow, 
and in the distance were low green hills. The 
banks were bordered with pickerel-weed and 
rushes ; near the shore were lily-pads, the small 
ones of the pond-lilies and the big thick ones 
of the yellow cow-lilies. Black alder bushes and 
willows grew at the water’s edge, and behind 
these was a young grove of birches and maples. 
On either side of the bridge the road was edged 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


73 

with mossy banks. Rocks cropped out in places, 
irregular rocks with little ferns growing in their 
crevices ; clumps of brakes spread their tall 
fronds here and there under the trees; and 
right by the corner of the bridge, near where 
Father and Trudy had climbed up to the road, 
was an old dead tree, with its bare limbs half in 
the water. Near this tree were several rocks, 
almost like chairs. 

Amos took a thick soft robe from under the 
seat of the buckboard and spread it over one of 
these rocks and over the mossy bank ; then he 
lifted Francis from the wheel-chair and put him 
on the robe. 

“ Why do we sit on that side ? ” asked Trudy. 
“ There’s a better view from over here.” 

“ Maybe there is, and maybe there isn’t,” re- 
plied Amos. “ You can see big things far away 
from over there, but there is something very 
near and very small and very marvelous on this 
dead tree. Come over here and I will show you 
a miracle ! ” 

They came. 

“ Sit down and make yourselves comfortable,” 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


74 

he directed them, “ for you will have to watch 
a long time. Look ” 

He pointed to a little brown bug, about an 
inch long, with a flat squatty head, and six legs. 
He clung to the rough bark of the dead tree, 
and he was absolutely motionless. 

“ What is it? ” they asked. 

“ You all know him — after the miracle has 
happened. I’ll just tell you this. For a 
whole year, this little fellow has lived in the 
mud at the bottom of the pond or the creek, 
perfectly contented until to-day, when some- 
thing told him to leave his home, to climb out 
of the water into the air. Though he had 
never done such a thing in all his life he wasn’t 
afraid. He came out of his watery, muddy 
home, onto the beach there. Then the some- 
thing said, ‘Climb up 1 ’ and he climbed up 
onto this dead branch. When the something 
said, ‘Stop now, and wait/ he obeyed. He has 
stopped and the something has told him to 
fasten his six legs firmly in the bark. Now we 
will wait with him.” 

For five long minutes nothing happened. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


75 

Father was as interested and mystified as Trudy 
and Francis, but active Timothy grew im- 
patient. 

“ I don't see much fun watching an old bug,” 
he scolded. “ I think lie’s dead, anyway.” 

44 Do you ? ” said Amos, quietly. “ Perhaps 
you will look at him now.” 

“Jiminy crickets!” shouted Timothy. Trudy 
squeezed Father's arm, and Francis whistled. 

The brown skin had cracked right down its 
back, and from just behind the flat head, a wet 
light-green soft little head was pushing its way 
out. It pushed and pushed, then rested ; then 
began again. Soon two thread-like green legs 
waved feebly about, outside the hard brown 
shell. 

44 The miracle has begun,” said Amos. 44 Now 
watch ! ” 

He really did not need to say that, because 
nothing would have induced any one to look 
anywhere else. In a minute those two weak 
little legs had found the rough hard shell, and 
clung to it, bracing with an astonishing strength 
while the creature began to pull its body free. 


7 6 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

First came a broad pair of shoulders ; four more 
legs, two on each side ; and after a great deal of 
hard work, the whole light-green body. Then 
he rested, absolutely quiet, on his cast-off shell. 

“ Think the old thing is dead now, Timothy ?” 
teased Father. 

“ Look at his shoulders,” said Francis. 
“ Those humps are wings. They are growing. 
You can see them grow.” 

From the square shoulders wings were slowly 
unfolding, almost like Miss Margaret's green 
fan. At first the wings were tightly packed to- 
gether ; then they gradually separated into 
evenly-creased folds, and then these folds 
smoothed themselves out, wider and wider, 
until the creature had four wonderful light- 
green lacy wings; and all the time the jointed 
body had been lengthening until everybody 
marveled that this great gorgeous insect could 
ever have been packed into the little transparent 
brown skin that still clung to the tree. 

“ Isn't he beautiful ? ” said Trudy, drawing a 
long breath. 

“ I know him now,” said Francis. 


“I've 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


77 

seen lots of them, the last few days, flying over 
the garden. He’s a dragon-fly, but I never 
thought I should see one born.” 

“ I thought you’d like it,” said Amos, greatly 
pleased. “ I’ve been here every spriug for a good 
many years to watch them, and it is just as 
wonderful every time.” 

“ So that is where darning-needles come 
from ! ” said Timothy. “ I never knew before. 
Why doesn’t he fly away ? He’s all done, isn’t 
he?” 

“ He is not quite dry,” explained Amos. 
“ As soon as he dries his wings he will fly. He 
will know exactly how, too, although this is the 
first time he has ever had wings. He won’t 
even have to learn to use them.” 

“ How long do you suppose we have been 
here ? ” asked Father, looking at his watch. 

“ About half an hour.” 

“ Fifteen minutes ? ” 

Amos did not guess, and he was the only one 
who was not surprised when Father said, “ Ex- 
actly one hour and twenty minutes ! ” 

“ Oh, look ! He’s moving,” called Trudy. 


78 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

The dragon-fly was crawling slowly up the 
tree. He rested often, but when he reached a 
sunny spot he carefully moved his wings up 
and down. In a few minutes he fluttered them 
quite strongly and then, suddenly, he soared 
into the air and flew across the brook, alighting 
on the branch of a willow tree. And then he 
flew high in the air and darted away toward 
the pond. 

“ All over/’ said Amos. “ You have seen the 
miracle.” 

Timothy had been still as long as he could 
be, so he was already scrambling down to look 
under the bridge. “ Oh,” he called, “ there are 
a lot of those old shells under here on the beam. 
Want some ? ” 

They each wanted one, so he picked them off, 
quite impressed to find how closely they stuck, 
and each one had the shell of a dragon-fly 
nymph to carry home as a souvenir. 

'‘There is a nest here too,” Timothy told 
them. “ It is right on the side of the rocks, but 
there aren’t any birds or eggs in it. It isn’t a 
very neat nest, all scraggly.” 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


79 

“ It must be a phcebe’s nest,” said Francis. 
“They often build under bridges. Mr. Johns- 
ton says there is a pair that would like to build 
over his back door, but he doesn’t care to have 
them quite so neighborly. A phoebe comes and 
sits on the clothes post every morning, so they 
have a nest near us. She flies out and catches 
an insect and then back to the post. She does 
it over and over again. She flirts her tail, when 
she’s watching, and tells me her name, ‘Phoe-be 
— phce-be.’ And she always sounds hoarse, as 
if she had a cold.” 

“ Let me see,” said Father, “ this has been 
quite a morning. Trudy and I have found a 
red-winged blackbird’s nest, Timothy has found 
a house to let, Amos has found a green fairy. 
What have you found, Francis?” 

“ He found the sandpipers,” began Timothy. 

“Yes, and I have just found something else. 
See the men on those poles? What are they 
doing? ” 

They looked where he pointed. Over the top 
of one of the hills, and down its side, trees had 
been cut, making a wide path, in the middle of 


8o 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


which marched a row of bare yellow poles that 
turned and went across the meadow toward 
Todd's Ferry. Men were climbing up and 
down these poles, and on the ground were 
circles and lines of something that glittered in 
the sun. 

“ I declare," exclaimed Timothy, “ those are 
the wire-men, fixing the electric light wires. 
Mr. McAdam said they wouldn't get electricity 
into town this summer, because there had been 
a strike and the work was all tied up. Wait 
till I tell him — — We're going to have elec- 
tricity in our house. Grandmother says she is 
afraid of it, but Grandfather tells her when 
she gets an electric iron she will be so tickled 
with it she will forget to be afraid. Are you 
going to have electricity in your house, Trudy ? " 

“ I don't know. Are we, Father ? " 

“ They are going to have it in the church and 
in the Town Hall," said Amos. “ That is an- 
other miracle, electricity ; just some little wires 
strung along those poles, and something we 
can't see or hear rushing over the wires to give 
us light and heat, to work for us, and — oh, who 


OUT-OF-DOORS 81 

knows what might not come into Todd's Ferry 
over those wires ? " 

Father picked a dandelion that had gone to 
seed and blew on the feathery white ball, hard. 
Not a seed remained. 

“ Mother wants us," he said. “ She wants us 
all, now. It is time to be going. Won't you all 
come home to dinner with us ? " 

“ Oh, do," begged Trudy. “ Please do. Fran- 
cis, I want to show you our house." 

But Amos said no ; Francis was tired, and he 
had done enough for the first day ; if this trip 
did him no harm, he could come some other 
time. And Francis was perfectly willing to go 
home and rest. 

Father and Trudy took Timothy home in the 
boat, and Amos drove Francis carefully back to 
the Johnstons', where Miss Margaret was wait- 
ing. She put Francis right to bed, and after he 
had had his dinner he went to sleep and dreamed 
of sparkling green angels dancing on glittering 
wires. 


CHAPTER VII 


parents' day 

Miss Fields always planned to have Parents' 
Day on the last day of school. She said she felt 
so sorry to leave Todd’s Ferry, even for a vaca- 
tion, that she wanted to see everybody just be- 
fore she went. This year she was not going 
away, but she had another reason for wishing to 
celebrate the last day of school. Her tea-room 
was all ready, and before she opened it to the 
boarders she planned to give a little party to all 
the people in the village. She wrote notes to 
everybody, whether they had children in the 
school or not, asking them to come to Parents' 
Day at the schoolhouse, and then to her new 
tea-room for some refreshments. That meant 
that Mr. Turner and his housekeeper would be 
there; Mr. McAdam promised to come, even if 
he had to leave for a while to attend to the noon 
82 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


83 

mail ; Amos, of course, accepted ; and the 
Johnstons wouldn’t miss it for anything. Fran- 
cis was going — in the chariot — and the children 
were full of excitement. 

“ Do you suppose Aunt Theresy will be 
there ? ” Trudy asked her father. “ I do hope 
Miss Fields hasn’t left her out.” 

“ She hasn’t,” Timothy assured them. “ I 
told her all about Aunt Theresy, and she wrote 
to her right off.” 

Parents’ Day was on Friday, and early in the 
morning Grandfather harnessed Jack-horse into 
the carryall, and he and Grandmother and Tim- 
othy drove over after Trudy and her people. 
When they got back to the main road they met 
Mr. Turner and his housekeeper, and away up 
ahead they could see Amos driving the chariot. 
All the way along they passed people, some rid- 
ing and some walking. Mr. Johnston and Miss 
Margaret had started early, to walk slowly and 
enjoy the lovely morning. She was all in 
white, as usual, with no hat on her pretty white 
hair, but she carried a lacy white parasol. Mr. 
Johnston was all dressed up in his best black 


84 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

suit, with such a shiny white shirt-front show- 
ing under his long beard. His red cheeks were 
redder than ever. Father said he looked as if 
he were ready to make a speech. 

“ Why, Father,” said Trudy, “ grown folks 
don’t make speeches on Parents’ Day — except 
the school committee when they give out the 
diplomas. This is the day when we children 
entertain our parents and show them how much 
we have learned during the past year.” She re- 
membered the very words Miss Fields had used 
when she explained Parents’ Day to the pupils. 

Miss Fields was standing on the grass in front 
of the schoolhouse, by the tall white flagpole 
where the new flag that the children had earned 
themselves was blowing proudly in the soft 
June breeze. 

“ Walk right in,” invited Miss Fields. 
“ David and Henry will show you your seats.” 

Settees from the Town Hall had been placed 
at the back of the schoolroom and at the sides, 
while on the platform near Miss Fields’ desk 
were several chairs. David and Henry escorted 
the visitors to places on the settees, but when 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


8 5 

Mr. Johnston and Miss Margaret came, David 
said, “ You are to sit on the platform. Teacher 
said so.” 

“ Gracious — up here with the committee ! ” 
exclaimed Mr. Johnston. “ You don’t suppose 
I’ll have to make a speech, do you ? Perhaps 
I’d better begin to practice now.” And he stood 
on the edge of the platform and pretended to be 
very scared, and recited this verse : 

u You’d scarce expect one of my age 
To speak in public on the stage. 

If I should chance to fall below 
Demosthenes or Cicero, 

Don’t view me with a critic’s eye 
But pass my imperfections by — 

imperfections by — by — by 

Oh, dear — oh, dear, I’ve forgotten the rest of it.” 

Through the open windows Trudy heard his 
voice and she called to the other children, “ Oh, 
come in, quick — the Santa Claus man is speak- 
ing a piece.” 

The older people were laughing at him, and 
saying to each other, “ I used to speak that 
when I went to school.” Dave and Henry did 


86 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


not know what to do or say, and now the rest 
of the children hurried in to hear the fun, but 
Mr. Johnston sat down. 

“ I don’t know any more,” he said, “ but I 
spoke that piece when I was a little boy in 
school, and I didn’t know what the big words 
meant any more than you do. I think I’ve 
done pretty well to remember it all these years. 
Now I’ll sit down and behave myself, as my 
sister is trying to tell me to do, and prepare to 
enjoy the exercises you have arranged for us.” 

It was nearly nine o’clock, but Miss Fields 
had not rung the bell. She seemed to be wait- 
ing for some one. Just as Trudy was trying to 
think who it could be a wagon clattered down 
the road, and there were Mr. and Mrs. Perkins 
and Belle, with Aunt Theresy. As soon as they 
were seated Miss Fields called the school to 
order. 

They had their regular lessons, but it was 
ever so much more fun to recite before all the 
grown people. And the lessons were a surprise, 
too. In the geography lesson, instead of saying, 
“ Describe the capital of the United States,” 


OUT-OF-DOORS 87 

Miss Fields asked Ben Dobson what he could 
tell them about the city where the Johnstons 
lived in the winter. And Ben talked so long 
that Mr. Johnston whispered so every one could 
hear that it almost made him homesick. Then, 
for mental arithmetic, she said : “ When the 
electric lights are installed in Todd’s Ferry, how 
many lights will be used if there are seven in 
the village square, twenty-five on the road 

around the lake ” and she mentioned nearly 

all the houses in town before she finished the 
long question. Francis forgot that he was not a 
member of the school and raised his hand, so, 
after she had called on the boy and girl who put 
their hands up first, she said, “ How many did 
you make it, Francis?” And he had the right 
answer. 

Three pupils gave the language lesson, stories 
they had written. One was an account of Mr. 
Turner’s annual maple-sugar party ; one was 
the story of a bird hunt; and the third was 
about Todd’s Ferry in the days before the rail- 
road came. Trudy wrote that one. 

After the exercises, Mr. McAdam, who was 


88 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


chairman of the school committee, made a 
speech and presented the diplomas to the grad- 
uates. There were three in the graduating 
class, Ben Dobson and two girls. Next year 
they would go to the Academy, at Prattville, 
five miles away. 

Every one thought that this was the end, but 
Miss Fields rose and began to speak. 

“ I know that our day would not be complete 
without a few words from our good friend, Mr. 
Johnston. The little boy and girl who saw him 
amidst the snow and the evergreen trees, on his 
first visit to Todd’s Ferry, were sure that they 
had seen Santa Claus. And who will say they 
were not right? For, somehow, our dear Mr. 
Johnston has been the Santa Claus man to 
nearly all of us here in Todd’s Ferry. It makes 
no difference to him what the season may be. 
He can be Santa Claus at all times of the year. 
But I shall be telling his secret if I say any 
more, so now I am going to let him speak for 
himself.” 

Mr. Johnston got up slowly and came to the 
edge of the platform. Every one was clapping 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


89 

and smiling at him, so only a few noticed Ben 
Dobson when he slipped out of the room, but 
all saw him come back. He carried a heavy 
pile of printed papers. They could see the 
letters and pictures on the papers when he put 
them on the floor. 

“ Friends/' began Mr. Johnston, “ when I was 
in Washington last winter my work carried me 
a great many times into the Department of 
Agriculture. Now, as you all know, my sister 
and I are very much interested in out-of-doors, 
especially the out-of-doors of Todd's Ferry. I 
am very proud of my home here, and of all my 
friends and neighbors, so I never lose a chance 
to talk about it to all my Washington friends. 

“ I was chatting with a man in the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture one day, telling him about 
some of the things we are doing up here, when 
he showed me this picture." 

He held up a picture of a group of boys and 
girls, in white caps and aprons, standing out-of- 
doors behind a long table, on which were piles 
of jars and cans. 

" * That is what a good many country children 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


90 

are doing/ my friend told me, i especially in 
the west. We want more children to do it. 
Why don’t you start such a movement in Todd’s 
Ferry ? ’ ” 

Every one was tremendously interested. The 
children were leaning forward in their seats to 
look at the picture. 

“ This is the scheme. The Government gives 
you these leaflets.” He pointed to the pile of 
papers that Ben had brought in. “ These tell 
you how to preserve and can vegetables and 
fruits. Both boys and girls learn to do it easily. 
It is a very important work. Food is saved in 
this way which would otherwise be wasted. 
Money is saved, because you use the products 
that you raise and do not have to buy from 
others. You gain knowledge, and you are do- 
ing something which is very much worth while. 
And your Government wants to help you and 
gives you every instruction, absolutely free. 
And because of this, you are a part of the Gov- 
ernment, and doing its work, just as much as if 
you were soldiers or senators or forestry men ; 
and because I want you to be interested, and 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


9i 

too, because my work is for the Government and 
I want to show my appreciation of your interest, 
I have decided to offer two rewards for good 
work. These rewards will be trips to Washing- 
ton (My, you should have heard the Oh-h-h-h-h-h 
that sounded through the room) where you may 
see the workings of the Government you have 
helped. Now two trips are waiting for the boys 
or girls in Todd’s Ferry who do the best work 
in canning and preserving during the summer. 
Each one competing for these trips will be given 
a blank with directions for filling it out. This 
blank, approved by your parents, will be handed 
to me, and later three judges will decide on the 
prize winners.” 

He had to stop now. They could not wait 
another second. They clapped and clapped. 
Then Bill shouted, “ Three cheers for Mr. 
Johnston — three cheers for the Santa Claus 
man ! ” and how they cheered. 

“ Now,” he went on, when they were quiet 
again, M Ben and Belle Perkins will please 
distribute the leaflets to any one who cares to 
have them. You oan talk it over with your 


TRUDT AND TIMOTHT 


92 

parents, and any who decide to enter the contest 
may give their names to my sister any time 
during the coming week.” 

Grandfather Todd looked around the school- 
room, at the children, reaching eagerly for the 
printed directions ; at the parents, whispering 
and smiling at each other ; then he rose and 
pounded on the floor with his cane. Every one 
looked at him. 

“ I don’t believe it will be necessary to wait a 
week for that list, Mr. Johnston,” he said. 
“ I’m pretty sure that every one here will agree 
with me when I suggest that if Miss Margaret 
copies Miss Fields’ school register she will have 
her list complete. Is there any boy or girl here 
who isn’t going to try for a trip to Washington ? 
Please raise your hand.” 

They just folded their arms and put their 
hands under the desks and did everything they 
could think of to keep them out of sight, they 
were so afraid Grandfather might think he saw 
one hand in the air. 

All except Timothy — up shot his hand, high 
above his head ! 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


93 

“ Why, Timothy ! ” exclaimed Grandmother, 
forgetting that school was still in session. 

Timothy forgot too, for he answered her, very 
seriously. “ I'm not going to try," he said, “not 
that way. That cooking is all right for girls. 
I've had to fill the wood-box, and feed the hens, 
and help on man's work, but I've never washed 
dishes nor cooked nor done any kind of girl's 
work, and I'm not going to do it now, even for 
a trip to Washington. I'll go when the rest go. 
I'll earn my trip to Washington, but I'll earn it 
some other way." 


CHAPTER VIII 


VISITING AUNT THERESY 

Timothy had been neglected since he had said 
that he would not agree to do preserving ; all 
the other boys were huddled together in a group, 
planning where to meet, and reading aloud 
from the leaflets. Aunt Theresy walked over 
to him. She took his chin in her hand, and 
lifted his hanging head. Somehow he felt hap- 
pier after he looked into her eyes. 

“ Little man,” she said, “ there are many 
ways that you may help with this summer’s 
work besides measuring sugar and washing 
dishes. Good raspberries and blackberries grow 
deep in the woods, and I suspect you know most 
of the woods here in Todd’s Ferry. Why don’t 
you supply Trudy with the fruit that she is 
planning to preserve ? ” 

Timothy’s face brightened. “ Sure,” he said, 
94 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


95 

“ I'd be willing to do that. And perhaps I could 
get some pictures in the woods.” 

“Oh, Timothy,” smiled Trudy, “that will be 
fine. And Fll give you half of my prize if I get 
one.” 

“ No, you won't either ! It's all right for me 
to help you that way, but men don't take things 
like prizes and money from girls. Anyway, 
what good would half a trip to Washington be 
to anybody? No, sir — if I go to Washington 
I’ll earn the money. You see I ” 

“ I believe you will,” said Aunt Theresy ; 
“ and now I want you children all day to-mor- 
row at my house, yes, and Francis too.” 

Miss Margaret said that Francis could cer- 
tainly go, so about ten o'clock on Saturday 
morning Amos drove him over to the little 
house near the big trees. Father had just 
brought Trudy and Timothy, and he helped 
Amos carry Francis into the living-room. The 
wheel-chair was too wide for the door, so Aunt 
Theresy put pillows in a big rocking-chair, and 
Francis said it was great, so soft and comfort- 
able. 


96 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

Timothy could look into the parlor where all 
the curiosities were, and he was all fidgety he was 
so eager to hear about them, but Aunt Theresy sat 
down and said calmly, 44 Where else have you 
taken Francis, Amos ? ” 

44 Up by the bridge.” 

“ And, oh, Aunt Theresy,” interrupted Trudy, 
41 we saw a miracle. Amos knew about it and 
he planned it for a surprise, so Father took me 
up the creek the same morning, and Timothy 
was there, and we all saw a dragon-fly born ! ” 

44 What’s that? What’s that? ” came a man’s 
voice from an inner room. 44 Where did you 
see that? Where is that bridge?” And out 
dashed Mr. Blake, the moving-picture man ! 

Every one jumped and looked astonished ex- 
cept Aunt Theresy and Amos. 

44 Up the creek a ways,” Amos replied. 
44 Want to get a picture ? ” 

44 1 should say I do ! Wait till I get my 
camera.” 

44 Hold on,” said Amos, 44 you can’t walk there. 
The show would be over — Sam or I will have to 
drive you.” 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


97 

After they had gone, Aunt Theresy said, 
“ Now we will give Francis a ride into the par- 
lor, and you shall see my treasures.” 

The room was cool and dark, with the blinds 
closed. Aunt Theresy opened them and the 
children looked around the room. It was like a 
museum ; on the walls were paintings of ships, 
sailing on light green waves, with the wind puff- 
ing out their white sails. Aunt Theresy said 
that her grandfathers or her uncles or her cous- 
ins had owned them and sailed in them. In 
one corner was a piece of furniture that she 
called a “ what-not.” It fitted the corner ex- 
actly, and had six shelves, one above the other ; 
the lowest shelf was quite large, and the others 
grew smaller and smaller until the top one was 
only big enough for the stuffed bird who lived 
there. Timothy said, “ Oh, look at the parrot,” 
and he really was something like a parrot, with 
his red head, back and breast, his green wings 
with yellow shoulders, and his black tail. 

“ You will never get a bird like that on any 
of your lists, Francis,” said Aunt Theresy. “ He 
is a chattering lory. My grandfather brought 


9 8 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

him home from the East Indies for a pet. After 
he died, a sailor stuffed him for Grandsir.” 

“ Can’t we each choose something,” asked 
Francis, “ and have you tell us about it ? ” 

“ Yes, indeed. Ladies first. We’ll let Trudy 
begin.” 

“ Oh, I like that little Chinaman. He is so 
queer-looking. Father remembered him.” 

Aunt Theresy had taken her knitting from a 
bag that hung on a chair and her ivory needles 
clicked while she talked. 

“ That is a Chinese coolie,” she told them. 
“ He is taking the tea down to the ship. Do 
you see that picture of the ship that says 
Lady Sarah under it ? That ship made many 
trips to China, and came home laden with tea, 
and every bit of the cargo was brought on 
board by coolies. Grandsir thought his wife 
and children would be interested in seeing how 
it was done, and he brought this little figure 
home to show them. He used to say it was 
correct in every detail. You notice the coolie 
has wound his queue around his head to keep 
it out of the way, and tucked up his blue blouse. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


99 

Some day, if you have two heavy loads to carry, 
Timothy, try balancing them on either end of a 
pole over your shoulder, like this fellow.” 

“ I choose this sword,” cried Timothy, point- 
ing to a yellowish white sword that hung by red 
silk cords over the mantelpiece. “ What is it 
— ivory? ” 

“ That is the sword of a swordfish, made and 
carved into this shape by a sailor. See the 
pictures of the fishing boats on it ? ” She took 
it down and carried it over so Francis could see 
the carvings. “ On long voyages the sailors had 
little to do, and they used to amuse themselves 
by making all kinds of curiosities, just as Timo- 
thy makes things in his shed-attic.” 

She found an old book and showed them 
pictures of sailors harpooning whales, and then 
a picture of a small boat that had been attacked 
by an angry swordfish. The long sword was 
sticking up through the bottom of the boat, 
which was tipped high on one end, and the 
three sailors were leaping into the water, hoping 
to swim away before the fish could free himself. 
From the big ship in the distance, another small 


ioo TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 


boat was hurrying to help them. Timothy 
thought this book was fine, and sat down on 
the floor to study it, while Francis chose a long- 
handled thing that looked as if it ought to be a 
feather duster, only instead of feathers on the 
end, there was a little ivory hand, with the 
fingers bent and a lacy ruffle of carved ivory 
about the wrist. 

“What is that?” he said. “I've been won- 
dering ever since I came into the room.” 

Aunt Theresy took it up and pushed the 
little ivory hand right down her own back, 
under her dress. “ It’s a back scratcher,” she 
said laughing, “ and it feels good. Haven’t you 
ever wished some one would scratch your back ? 
I’ve seen my Uncle Jim get up against the edge 
of a door and rub his back up and down, just 
as a pig does under a fence. Grandmother 
never would let any of us use this, after Grand- 
sir brought it home. She was afraid we’d 
break it.” 

While Aunt Theresy was getting dinner she 
said the children might look at anything in the 
room. And she never said a word about not 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


IOI 


touching things or being careful not to break 
anything. Trudy and Timothy walked around 
and brought a wonderful piece of white coral to 
Francis ; and a fan of black lace, embroidered 
with gorgeous green beetle wings and bordered 
with peacocks’ feathers ; a big starfish, all dry 
and scratchy ; the blown-glass ship under its 
glass dome was right at his elbow on a little 
marble-topped table. It took a long time to see 
that. The water was blue cotton wool, and the 
ship was every bit glass, hull, masts, spars, ropes, 
flags and pennants. And they put everything 
back where they found it. 

They had a late dinner. Before they were 
through, Amos and Mr. Blake drove into the 
yard. Mr. Blake had been just in time for his 
picture, and hardly ate a bit of dinner, he was so 
anxious to develop it. He disappeared into the 
shed where he had fitted up a dark room. He 
was boarding with Aunt Theresy. He wanted 
a retired place where people would not bother 
him by following him and the camera, and say- 
ing, “ Are you taking pictures ? ” He had ar- 
ranged with the electric light men to have a 


io2 TRUDT AND TIMOTHT 


wire run into the shed, and in a few days they 
would put it in so he could print his pictures by 
electric light. 

Trudy helped Aunt Theresy clear the table 
and wash the dishes. Amos carried Francis out 
under the big trees. He spread the carriage 
robe on the fragrant brown needles, and Francis 
lay there, on the pillows that Timothy brought 
from the house, looking far up into the waving 
tops of the tall, tall trees, until the others fin- 
ished their work and came out too. 

“ I suppose these trees are nearly a thousand 
years old,” said Amos. 

“ Eight hundred, anyway, I should say,” re- 
plied Mr. Blake. 

Trudy did some mental arithmetic. 

“ Why ! Then they were here before Colum- 
bus discovered America ! ” 

“ They were here when the Indians scalped 
folks I ” 

“ The Indians that lived around here never 
did any scalping, Timothy,” said Amos. “ It 
was long past the days of scalping when they 
hunted in these woods. They were very peace- 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


103 

ful and very lazy. They soon learned that the 
white settlers could add to their comfort in 
many ways, so they took mighty good care to 
keep friendly with them.” 

“ These trees must have seen a good many 
sights,” remarked Mr. Blake, “ Indian camp- 
fires, early settlers building their log cabins, 
hunters and trappers creeping through the 
forest, the stage-coach rattling by, and now I 
suppose their tall tops can look over and see the 
railroad.” 

“ Grandfather always said that these trees 
were the pride of our family,” said Aunt 
Theresy ; “ our ancestors picked out this location 
for its splendid timber, and these trees have 
always been cared for. We have had to sell a 
good deal of the land, for one reason or another, 
but we have always planned to save the big 
trees. Only the greatest necessity could make 
me part with them.” 

She sighed, and Amos gave her a quick look. 

“ But let’s talk about something pleasanter 
than selling trees.” 

“ Let’s talk about making a picture of them,” 


104 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

suggested Mr. Blake; “the sun is just right 
now. Aunt Theresy, I want to take your pic- 
ture with your trees. Come on, everybody, get 
out of the way.” 

Amos moved Francis up the road where he 
could watch Mr. Blake working. 

“ Now, Aunt Theresy, don’t be scared,” he 
said laughingly, “ and don’t think anything 
about me or the camera. Just walk up the 
road, from that stick that I’ve put there, and go 
over to the trees. And remember that they are 
your trees and you love them.” 

“ What shall I do? ” 

“Do just as you do early every morning 
when you come out to see them — yes,” as she 
looked at him in surprise, “ I’ve been up early 
too, and I think just as much of the big trees as 
you do.” 

So Aunt Theresy forgot the camera and Mr. 
Blake and her company, and walked up the 
road and over to her tall, tall trees. She stood 
by each one, caressing the rough bark ; then 
she sat down in a little space between the great 
roots and leaned her head back against the 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


105 

trunk and looked up at the blue sky. And the 
children were very still, watching her. There 
was no sound but the clicking camera. And 
she sat there after the camera was still ; while 
Mr. Blake helped Amos carry Francis back to 
the house and while Trudy and Timothy crept 
up the road, she sat there. 

Suddenly she got up in a hurry and followed 
them and said, “ Dear me, it's almost supper 
time.” Everybody said they couldn't possibly 
eat any supper, they had such a hearty dinner, 
but when she brought out a bowl of wild straw- 
berries, and a pile of gold-banded china saucers 
and a pink luster pitcher full of cream, no one 
could refuse. 

After supper Father came for Trudy and 
Timothy, and they all drove home in the soft 
warm darkness. Thousands of stars twinkled 
above them, and all about them sparkled hun- 
dreds of fireflies, like flying stars. Behind them 
the tall trees stretched black up into the sky. 

“Uncle Sam,” said Timothy, “I don't be- 
lieve, for all Aunt Theresy has so many nice 
things, that she is very rich. She was almost 


io6 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


crying when she talked about having to sell her 
big trees. She’d get a lot of money for those 
great trees.” 

“ Oh, wouldn’t it be awful if she had to see 
them cut down?” shuddered Trudy, remember- 
ing the time she had seen a tree felled by the 
choppers. 

“Well, anyway, she won’t have to,” said 
Timothy very decidedly, “for if there is any 
danger of that, we’ll do something.” 


CHAPTER IX 


THE YELLOW AUTOMOBILE 

July brought the summer boarders. The 
city people came to spend their vacation at 
Todd House, and at the different farmhouses 
and the boarding-houses at Prattville. While 
they were resting — fishing, bathing, having 
picnics and automobile rides — the people who 
lived in Todd's Ferry were having their very 
busiest times. Everybody had eztra work to do. 

Mr. Perkins had to put on a second stage, 
besides a big auto truck for trunks. Mr. Mc- 
Adam kept the store open every evening, and 
Miss Fields' new tea-room was crowded all the 
time. She cooked in the morning — cakes and 
candy, and bread for sandwiches. Mother 
helped her, although Mother cooked at home. 
Every day Father carried supplies from the 
little red farmhouse to the tea-room. Some- 
times he would meet men whom he had known 
107 


io8 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


in Boston who were spending their vacations in 
Todd's Ferry. He always asked them to ride 
back with him if they were going his way, be- 
cause he wanted them to see his home. And 
they would always say the same thing after they 
had been over the farm, “ Nice place you have 
here, Sam. Wouldn’t mind getting out into 
the country myself.” 

Trudy agreed with them. She was very busy 
herself. All the children were. They were 
learning to preserve, studying the leaflets that 
Mr. Johnston had given them and working 
hard to win that trip to Washington. Amos 
said he couldn’t step into a kitchen for a drink 
of water without finding the sink full of pre- 
serve jars, and a kettle of syrup sizzling on the 
stove. He said he thought he ought to have a 
sample from each place, so he could tell the 
different boys and girls how the others were 
succeeding. 

The grown folks were putting up their pre- 
serves, too, just as they did every year. Grand- 
mother had a summer kitchen, back of the real 
kitchen, where she worked. This was a little 


OUT-OF-DOORS 109 

room, with windows on three sides, at the very 
back of the house. A door opened into the 
lower hay-field, and no one ever came around 
there except the family. The windows were all 
screened with white mosquito netting, so no one 
could look in anyway. It was almost like a 
secret room, especially when the door from the 
kitchen was shut. 

Trudy had teased Timothy to say he would 
try for the Washington trip. All the other boys 
were cooking and measuring sugar and steriliz- 
ing jars and doing all kinds of what Timothy 
called “ sissy stuff, ” but he would not change 
his mind. He worked out-of-doors with Grand- 
father, weeding the vegetable gardens, picking 
strawberries to sell to the boarding-houses, driv- 
ing the hay-rake, and, as Grandfather said, 
“ learning man’s work.” They were all so busy 
all day and so tired when night came that 
Mother said they got up and went to bed with 
the chickens, but it wasn’t really so. They did get 
up at five o’clock, when the dewy little cobwebs 
spangled the grass and the air smelled sweeter 
than at any other time ; and they went to bed 


no TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

as soon as the stars were bright, but the chickens 
crowed at sunrise and slept at sunset. Trudy 
had never realized how many things you could 
see only early in the morning, and she soon 
learned to love to jump out of bed and run to 
her window that looked into the big elm tree, 
and listen for the birds. Always Father Oriole 
was singing to his babies in the hanging nest ; 
chebec and phcebe were darting from their 
perches after their breakfasts of insects ; and the 
swallows were flying out the little side windows 
of the barn. Nearly every morning before 
breakfast she ran up to leave a surprise on the 
piazza for Francis. Sometimes it was a dish of 
fresh berries for breakfast, sometimes a pitcher 
of warm milk and sometimes a posy from 
Mother’s garden. 

After breakfast she had the summer kitchen 
for her preserving. Mother advised sometimes, 
but Trudy did all the work, and soon began to 
trust her own judgment. Father fitted some 
shelves in a corner of the cellar and here Trudy 
put her jars of strawberries, currants, raspberries 
and cherries, each one wrapped in paper to keep 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


1 1 1 


the lovely color. She learned that berries must 
be canned as soon as possible after they are 
picked, and that preserve made before the ber- 
ries are too ripe is much the best. Almost 
every afternoon she went up to see Francis. 
He was keeping very still now, resting in the 
big hammock, getting ready to go to the hos- 
pital. 

The French surgeon was in Washington and 
would soon be in New Hampshire. He had 
written Mr. Johnston exactly what Francis 
must do, and every one was trying to help 
Francis carry out his instructions. 

Timothy was very friendly with Mr. Blake. 
They went off on long tramps, taking pictures 
together. Mr. Blake showed Timothy ever so 
many tricks about picture-taking, and his post- 
cards were selling well at the tea-room. 

One afternoon Timothy met Mr. Blake at the 
store. “Come on,” said Timothy, “I’ve got 
something to show you. I didn’t tell you be- 
fore because I wasn’t sure. I’m sure now, and 
I’ll bet you’ll be surprised. It is on the road 
around the lake.” 


1 1 2 TRUDT AND T1M0 THY 

Mr. Blake had his camera, and they walked 
slowly along. 

“This is a good day to see it,” continued 
Timothy, “ because most of the pesky boarders 
have gone over to Prattville to the ball game, 
and there are hardly any autos left in town. I 
hope an auto won't come along and scare him.” 

“ Scare whom ? Who's your friend ? ” 

“ You wait ! ” and not another word would 
Timothy say. 

Soon they came to a place where the road had 
been widened, and a grassy projection overhung 
a sandy bank, on the side away from the lake. 
On the shore, close by, was a dead tree with a 
branch that stretched out over the water. 

“ Look around,” said Timothy. “ See any- 
thing? ” 

Now Stanley Blake had not taken nature 
pictures for the United States Government with- 
out learning something, so he looked sharply 
up and down and on all sides. Then he 
chuckled and set up his camera facing the 
shelving sandy bank. 

“ Put yours on that rock,” he advised Tim- 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


XI 3 

othy. “ Then, whether he goes in or comes out, 
you will get him. Focus for twelve feet. I’ll 
enlarge it for you if you get a good one.” 

Timothy grinned. “ Didn’t take you long to 
see Mr. Kingfisher’s front door, did it?” 

“ When is he usually at home?” replied Mr. 
Blake, sitting down on the wall. 

“ I don’t know, but there are fresh tracks, 
pointing out, so I guess he will be back soon.” 

“ Good for you I ” said Mr. Blake. “ You’re 
learning to use your eyes. When did you find 
the nest ? ” 

“ About a week ago. When Miss Margaret said 
that there was a bird that lived in the ground, 
I hunted all through Francis’s nest book and 
found kingfisher. Then I’ve looked for sandy 
banks, and one day last week, when I was pick- 
ing raspberries for Trudy, I fell off this bank 
here, and when I rolled over I looked right into 
that little round hole. Then I saw his tracks 
all around here, and I knew I had found a 
kingfisher’s nest. And I came here every day 
and watched till I saw him go in Hush i” 

Across the lake sounded his rattle. King,- 


1 1 4 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

fisher was coming home. They hid among the 
underbrush, the cameras ready. Soon they saw 
him flying low over the water. Mr. Blake 
whirled his camera toward the bird and began 
to turn the crank. Kingfisher came straight 
toward them. They could see him plainly, his 
blue coat, his white collar and shirt-front, and 
his striped blue and white vest. He perched 
on the dead tree. Mr. Blake turned his camera 
and took another picture. Kingfisher ruffled 
his crest and turned his big head from side to 
side; he raised one wing, spreading the stiff 
quills ; he looked toward his nest. Once more 
Mr. Blake turned the camera, this time facing 
the hole in the bank. Timothy stood ready to 
snap his shutter. They heard Kingfisher flap- 
ping through the trees over their heads, and 
then 

“ Honk — honk — ho-o-o-onk ! ” and a huge 
bright yellow automobile whizzed by like a flash 
of lightning ! 

Timothy remembered one day in June when 
a party of boys had spoiled Mr. Blake's squir- 
rel picture. He expected now that Mr. Blake 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


11 5 

would scold and rage because Kingfisher had 
been frightened away, but he was surprised 
enough at what did happen. 

Mr. Blake jumped out into the road, his face 
all smiles and excitement, and looked at the 
cloud of dust, which was the only trace left of 
the yellow automobile. 

44 Good enough ! ” he shouted. 44 Here they 
are ! I never thought they could make it so 
soon.” 

44 Is that somebody you know ? ” inquired 
Timothy, wondering what it all meant. 

44 Come on,” commanded Mr. Blake, packing 
up his camera, 44 we'll get these pictures some 
other day.- The thing we have to do now is to 
get up to Todd House as quick as ever we can.” 

They hurried along the road. Mr. Blake did 
not say another word. He needed all his 
breath when he was walking fast with that 
heavy load. Timothy was wishing another au- 
tomobile would come home from the ball game 
and give them a lift, when he heard a familiar 
44 Toot-toot,” and Amos Bean drove out from a 
crossroad. 


1 16 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 


“ Say, Bean,” Mr. Blake hailed him, “ take us 
up to Todd House, will you ? Some friends of 
mine have just gone by in a machine, and I 
want to get there as soon as I can.” 

“ Guess this old nag of mine can't overtake 
that machine if it's the one I saw across-lots. 
Yellow, wasn't it, and going some faster than 
the law allows ? But pile in, this is better than 
walking.” 

When they reached the store the yellow auto 
was still in front of the hotel. Several strange 
men and women were walking up and down 
the piazza. When they saw Mr. Blake hurry- 
ing across the square, they waved their hands 
and beckoned to him. 

“Come on, Timothy,” he said, as Timothy 
hung back, not knowing whether to go or not, 
so Timothy went with him, across the green to 
Todd House, where he tried to see everything 
about the big machine and hear every word that 
every one said. And that was hard, because 
they were all talking at once. 

“ Great country, Stanley ” 

“Just what we’re looking for. We've seen 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


117 

heaps of people already that are the very types 
for the pictures.” 

“ The stuff is coming on as soon as we pick 
out a location.” 

Then a man came out from the office. He 
was disgusted and cross. He looked at Mr. 
Blake, and spoke, very differently from the 
others. 

“ Nice mess you’ve made of it, Stan,” he 
growled ; “ got us all up here to work, but there 
is no place for us to stay. The hotel is full and 
the landlord says none of the boarding-houses 
can accommodate us.” 

“ Great Scott, is that so ? That is a bad state 
of affairs. Why, I never thought of your hav- 
ing any trouble about lodgings.” 

“ What’s the matter?” asked Timothy, push- 
ing his way to Mr. Blake’s side. “ Are these 
boarders ? And do they want to stay ? ” 

“ They are moving-picture actors,” explained 
Mr. Blake. “ They have come to take some pic- 
tures of early American history for use in the 
schools — educational stuff, you know. I was so 
excited at finding just the location and sur- 


1 1 8 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 


roundings for them that the little matter of food' 
and beds escaped me altogether.” 

Like a flash Timothy thought it would never 
do to let moving-picture actors get away. Why, 
they might go over to Prattville ! 

“ Aunt Theresy will take some boarders,” h8 
said. “ She would like the money ; and she’s a 
good cook as well as a capable nurse— Grand- 
mother says so. And Mr. Turner's housekeeper 
hasn’t much to do, with only one man in the 
family ” 

Mr. Blake clapped him on the shoulder. 

“ The obstacle is removed,” he announced to 
his friends. “ These people are near the spot 
I’ve picked out for you, and they are away from 
the boarders. Take us in the machine and we 
will guide you to rest and food.” 

Almost before Timothy could realize it, he 
was squeezed into the wonderful golden car, with 
these wonderful persons, and speeding up the 
road to Aunt Theresy’s house. 


CHAPTER X 

timothy’s secret passage 

“ Do you think you could be comfortable 
here ? ” 

Aunt Theresy was speaking to the moving- 
picture people, who were standing in her living- 
room. They were casting admiring glances at 
the open fireplace, at the glimpses of treasures 
in the parlor, at the snowy beds that showed 
through the open doors beyond, and they were 
taking deep breaths of the sweet air that came 
in through the open windows. The big yellow 
automobile stood under the big trees. 

“ Comfortable ! ” exclaimed the manager. 
“ My dear madam, you can’t realize what a 
home like yours means to us tramps. If you 
would only take us ” 

“Oh, do, Aunt Theresy,” begged Timothy, 
and 


119 


120 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

“ Please do, Aunt Theresy," echoed Stanley 
Blake. 

“ I could accommodate only three, besides 
Mr. Blake/' she said. 

“ Mr. Turner has a nice spare room," sug- 
gested Timothy, “ with a bird's-eye-maple bureau 
in it. And Grandmother has four bedrooms we 
don't use." 

Mr. Blake turned Timothy around and ran 
his hand over his shoulders. “ I was just feel- 
ing for his wings," he said. “ Only angels re- 
member things like that. Sims," he said to the 
manager, “ if you can get some of the crowd 
into Grandmother Todd’s house, you’re a lucky 
man. It is a big old farmhouse that used to be 
the tavern in stage-coach times, and you can get 
some corking interiors if Mrs. Todd is willing." 

Timothy could hardly speak, he was so ex- 
cited. To have moving pictures taken right in 
your own house 1 That was better than doing 
sissy preserving 1 He guessed Ben Dobson and 
the other boys would take some notice of him 
now ! Oh, — perhaps — perhaps he could be m 
one of the pictures ! 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


121 


During the next few days things were cer- 
tainly lively. Timothy went up to the Johns- 
tons’ each night after supper and told Francis 
all the news. 

“ The electric lights are all in everywhere/’ 
he reported, “ and, say, Francis, it was these 
people who hurried ’em up. Mr. Blake told 
the movie folks about this place, and they just 
got busy with the electric light company. You 
know moving-picture companies use a heap of 
electricity and that company didn’t want to lose 
that good trade. Grandfather says if it hadn’t 
been for them, probably Todd’s Ferry wouldn’t 
have had electricity for another year, at least. 
There are lights in Aunt Theresy’s house that 
they put in, and a big one in Mr. Blake’s dark 
room, and say, we’re having them put in our 
house 1 The man gave me a lot of little old 
pieces of wire and things and I’m going to build 
a shack in the bushes down back of the house 
and wire that.” 

“ What kind of pictures are they going to 
take?” 

“ Oh, Indians, and trappers, and stage-coaches. 


122 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

Say, Mr. Perkins is getting out the old, old 
stage that his father used to drive, and they 
are going to use that. He had it up in his 
carriage house loft. It's going to drive up in 
front of our house, and they want Grandmother 
and Grandfather to dress up in the old-fashioned 
clothes that are up attic, and be in a picture. 
Grandmother doesn’t know about it, but Grand- 
father says he’ll try anything once. Gee ! I 
hope they ask me to be in a picture — I’ll 
doit!” 

Grandmother was busy getting the rooms 
ready. Mother came over to help. Timothy 
had to stay in the house, to run errands. They 
washed and ironed the white curtains at the 
windows ; they put sweet-smelling, clean sheets 
on the old-fashioned beds ; and they picked 
clove pinks and bergamot and put a bouquet 
in every room. And when Grandmother and 
Mother were walking around for the last time, 
and saying, “ There, I guess everything is ready 
now ! ” Amos drove up with a special delivery 
letter that Mr. McAdam had sent up from the 
post-office. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


123 

“ Gracious, what now ! ” said Grandmother. 
She tore open the envelope and Timothy 
watched her face as she read the letter. 

“ What shall we do ? ” she exclaimed. “ I don't 
see where we can put them." 

“ Who is it ? " asked Mother. 

“ Two more coming, two little girls that they 
forgot to mention." 

" Oh, little girls," said Mother, in great relief. 
"That's easy. Why not use the trundle-bed? 
There are plenty of sheets, and the west room is 
big enough for both beds." 

“ We can," agreed Grandmother, “ but we 
must get it out this minute. It is in the dark 
attic behind Timothy's room." 

Now here was a piece of news. Timothy had 
never suspected that there was a dark attic be- 
hind his little room. To be sure, there was a 
closet under the eaves, as there was in nearly 
every bedroom in the old house, but that was 
all. He raced ahead now, and opened the closet 
door. It was deep and dark. He could see 
some boxes and a tin wash-boiler. Grandmother 
followed and stooped to get in the door ; then 


124 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

she went to the back of the closet and — why 
hadn’t Timothy ever seen that door in the wall 
before ? It was low, like the other, with a bolt 
on it and a wooden knob. Timothy darted 
under Grandmother’s arm and unbolted the 
door. He pulled, but it stuck and would not 
open. Grandmother wrapped her apron around 
the wooden knob and gave a quick sharp pull. 
The door flew open. Timothy went in — into a 
dark open attic, with a roof that sloped to the 
floor on either side. It smelled sweet and warm 
and clean. Grandmother and Mother had to 
stoop to get in the door, but once inside, they 
could stand upright in the middle of the room. 

“ There is the trundle-bed,” said Grandmother. 
The only light in the attic came from the open 
closet door, and it was a minute or two before 
Timothy’s eyes were used to the gloom. Then 
he saw the trundle-bed. He said it looked like 
a turtle — a low bed, nearly as wide and as long 
as a regular one, but with legs only about six 
inches high, a tiny low headboard and no foot- 
board at all. There were holes in the sides and 
ends, with ropes laced across, making a support 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


125 

for th8 mattress. Mother told Timothy that 
this was a bed used in olden times for the chil- 
dren, to save room. In the daytime it was 
" trundled ” (it moved easily on castors) under 
the big bed, and at night it was pulled out 
and used. 

“ Til bet they use that in a picture, 1 ” he said. 

They took it apart, got it out of the dark attic 
and set it up in the west room. Mother and 
Timothy went across to the red house and came 
back with more sheets and pillows. 

Then Timothy said he was going up into the 
dark attic again to explore. First he soaped the 
door and the casing so it did not stick. Inside 
there was very little to see, only a few flowered 
bandboxes and an old flax-wheel, but at the end 
of the attic was a chimney. The floor was cut 
away around this chimney, and he could look 
down on the slanting flue of the big fireplace in 
the living-room below. He could hear Grand- 
mother moving about, setting the table, and he 
could smell the dinner cooking. The chimney 
was very close to the end wall, but there was a 
little space behind it. He squeezed himself in 


126 TRUDT AND TIMOTHT 


here, and found a window — the queerest window 
in the queerest place he had ever seen. It 
did not look out-of-doors, but directly onto a 
shingled roof. And there was another roof 
above this shingled one, for the window was as 
dark as the rest of the attic. It was very 
puzzling. The shingled roof slanted at right 
angles to the end of the attic, and was invitingly 
close to the window. Timothy tried the win- 
dow. It opened. He climbed out onto the roof. 
It was rather a small roof, and was entirely en- 
closed by another roof, apparently part of the 
main house. There was no other way to get out 
than by the window Timothy had found. He 
did not know where he was. 

The shingles were old and loose, and as he 
crawled over them, one fell, leaving a crack 
where the light shone up. Timothy squinted 
down through this crack. There, directly be- 
low him, was his own work-bench ; there were 
his old broken guns in the rack ; there were his 
paint pots and brushes ! He was on the roof of 
the shed-attic ! 

The shed had evidently been moved up against 


OUT-OF-DOORS 127 

the end of the house during some alterations, 
and when Grandfather, or his father, had made 
a new shed, they had simply put the new roof 
over the old one to save time and work. Timo- 
thy sat there, thinking. He thought how near 
he was to his work-bench ; he thought how easy 
it was to climb through the window from the 
dark attic that opened from his own room ; and 
he thought of something Grandfather had said 
when he told him to keep all his tools in the 
shed-attic — “ You may have that place for your 
very own” 

He heard Grandfather going through the 
shed, and Grandmother calling, “Come, Timo- 
thy, dinner is ready.” 

At the table he said to Grandfather : “ The 
shed-attic is all mine, isn’t it?” 

“ It certainly is.” 

“ And I may do anything I want to there, 
mayn’t I ? ” 

“ I suppose you may.” 

“ Well, does that mean I could make a hole 
in the roof if I wanted to ? If I boarded it all 
up tight, so it wouldn’t do any harm ? ” 


128 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 


“A hole in the roof V* asked Grandmother. 
“ What for ? ” 

“ Well, I just wanted to know.” 

It was a long time since Grandfather had been 
a boy, but he had a good memory, so he an- 
swered gravely, “ If I recollect, that shed roof 
isn’t open to the weather. I don’t care what 
you do, as long as you don’t let the rain in 
where it will do any damage.” 

Later, when they heard sawing and pounding 
in the shed-attic, Grandfather said to Grand- 
mother, “ Let the boy alone. I’ll go up there 
after he has gone to bed and see what he is up 
to.” 

Timothy was making a secret passage. First, 
he took out the window behind the chimney in 
the dark attic, and fitted a wooden shutter to 
the opening. He put a button on the inside, 
with a string attached. He bored a b fie in the 
shutter and put the string through so that by 
pulling it he could undo the button from the 
outside. Then, in the shed roof, just over his 
work-bench, in a dark corner where it would 
not be noticed, he cut a trap-door. When it 



HE CUT A TRAP-DOOR 





OUT-OF-DOORS 


129 

was all done, he could climb up on his work- 
bench, through the trap-door, over the roof to 
the window, and so into the dark attic behind 
his own room. The last thing he did was to 
take off the bolt on the dark attic door so that 
it could be opened from either side. 

When Grandfather went up to the shed-attic 
after Timothy was asleep he had to hunt a long 
time before he could find the trap-door over the 
work-bench. It was only when he noticed a 
little pile of fresh sawdust on the bench that he 
discovered it. He climbed on an old chair and 
pushed it up ; he held his lantern in the open- 
ing and saw that the old window was gone. He 
couldn’t climb through, as Timothy did, because 
the trap-door was too small, but he saw enough 
to guess what Timothy had done. He went 
down-stairs and told Grandmother. 

“ It is really quite handy,” he said. “ No 
grown person could get into the house that way, 
even if they found the place. But if we ever 
lock ourselves out we can send Timothy in 
through the secret passage to let us in.” 

They decided not to say anything to Timothy 


1 3 o TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

about it, unless he told them, so, when he sud- 
denly appeared down the stairs into the kitchen, 
or when he went up to his own room and did 
not come back, Grandmother never seemed at 
all surprised. 

Timothy told no one, not even Trudy. He 
wanted to have this for his own particular secret. 
Something told him to keep it a secret, but he 
never dreamed how important it would prove to 
be before the summer was over. 


CHAPTER XI 


THE MOVIE VILLAGE 

Exactly as Timothy had expected, as soon as 
the other boys found that the moving-picture 
people were living at Grandfather Todd’s, they 
tried to be very chummy. They asked Timo- 
thy to join a new secret society that they had 
formed, and Dave gave him a brand-new fish 
line he found floating in the pond. They would 
have liked to spend all their time chasing up the 
moving-picture company, but Amos said that 
they didn’t want kids hanging around, and had 
hired a special constable to keep outsiders away 
from the place where they were working; be- 
sides, the boys were still eager to win that trip 
to Washington, and preserving kept them busy. 
During the forenoons boys were scarce in Todd’s 
Ferry. Amos saw them, with aprons tied 
around their necks, when he went to the kitchen 
131 


1 32 TRUDT AND TIMOTHT 

doors with his fish ; Bill, the store-boy, teased 
them when he delivered groceries ; but they 
persevered. And the girls were even busier 
than the boys. 

The moving-picture people had selected a spot 
in the meadow near the great tree where Trudy 
and Amos had helped the aviator, as being the 
best for their purpose. The brook wound 
through the meadow, narrow in places, widening 
out to little pools in others, sometimes flowing 
between low grassy banks in the bright sun- 
shine, and then hiding in a thicket where the 
young trees and bushes cast green and brown 
shadows in the water. A lovely pine grove was 
near by ; sloping green fields led up to the dis- 
tant hills; and just beyond the grove the brook 
spread out into the mill-pond, and rested by the 
ruined mill. 

Mr. Blake said that they were going to build 
up part of the old mill and use it in some of the 
pictures. One advantage of this location was 
the fact that it was quite far away from the 
hotel and the boarding-houses. The city peo- 
ple did not like to walk so far, but they were 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


*33 

beginning to plan automobile trips to see the 
moving-picture people at work. Mr. Sims said 
he didn’t care if they did do that because the 
constable would not let them come near enough 
to interfere with the picture and it was good ad- 
vertising to have an audience once in a while. 

The two little girls had come, riding up on 
the stage with Mr. Perkins, as Trudy had done 
when she first came to Todd’s Ferry. Their 
names were Claire and Isabelle. At first Trudy 
was shy, but she soon found that they were just 
like other little girls, even if they did act in 
moving pictures. They loved Trudy’s little 
red house and her old-fashioned doll, Judith. 
Every day, while the carpenters were building 
the moving-picture village, they came over to 
play with her, and they said that Snowball, 
Trudy’s fluffy white cat, must surely be in a pic- 
ture. They played with Timothy too, and he 
and Claire did stunts. Claire often took the 
part of a boy in the pictures, and she would 
dress up in her boy’s clothes and climb trees and 
walls, and turn somersaults like a real boy. At 
first she could beat Timothy on somersaults, but 


i 3 4 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

while she was playing dolls with Trudy, he was 
out in the haymow practising, until at last he 
could beat her in everything. 

They went up to see Francis every day, too, 
and he told them about the birds and the 
flowers. While they were there one day in 
July, they heard an automobile honking down 
on the road. It was the big yellow one, and 
they could see Trudy standing in it, waving and 
beckoning to them. Isabelle was on the front 
seat with Mr. Sims, and Mr. Blake was there 
too. Timothy and Claire ran down to them. 

“ Want to go over and see the village ? ” asked 
Mr. Sims. “ They are going to begin work to- 
day.” \ 

“ Sure,” said Timothy, and away they went. 

He had no idea what a movie village looked 
like ; he had wanted very much to go over there 
when he had been out in the woods and fields 
picking berries for Trudy, but Grandfather had 
said, “ Once for all, you children must not make 
nuisances of yourselves to the moving-picture 
folks. They are here for work, and you shall 
not tag round after them. If they want you 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


J 3 5 

over there, they will ask you. You must wait 
for an invitation.” 

Now it had come. A little way beyond Mr. 
Turner's house, they left the main road and 
bumped along an old wood road, full of deep 
ruts and grassy hummocks ; then they turned 
into a field where there was no road at all, only 
some well-worn tire tracks in the grass. The 
children bounced up and down in the machine, 
and Timothy could not even look around until 
the automobile stopped, and Mr. Sims said with 
a laugh, “ Here we are, what there is left of us.” 

Trudy and Timothy looked eagerly about ; 
then they stared at each other. They were think- 
ing the same thought. “ Was that a movie vil- 
lage?” 

In front of them, they saw a long row of 
rough, unfinished looking open rooms, with ends 
of yellow boards and joists sticking out in every 
direction. The roofs extended only half-way 
over the rooms, and the chimneys had no backs 
to them. Yet there was furniture in some of 
the rooms, and windows, with white curtains 
blowing in the breeze. Stone walls had been 


1 36 TRUDT AND T 1 M 0 THT 

made in all sorts of queer places. Electric wires 
were everywhere, with huge, powerful search- 
lights. A big wooden box encased ever so many 
wires, and had Danger painted on it in shiny 
black letters. Strange people, in strange 
clothes, were walking about or sitting in the 
shade of the buildings. Trudy and Timothy 
still sat in the automobile. 

“ Isn't it great? ” said Claire. “ Haven’t they 
made it quickly ? ” 

“ I think it is horrid now,” replied Timothy. 
“ I don’t know but it will look better when it is 
finished.” 

Claire stared at him ; then she laughed and 
pulled him out of the machine. 

“ This is only the back part,” she explained. 
“ It will never show in the pictures. Come on 
around front.” 

They followed her around the buildings, 
stepping over the unfinished boards. 

Such a difference ! They stood in the street 
in front of a row of the dearest little log cabins 1 
There was no glass in the windows, but white 
curtains fluttered there, blowing aside to show 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


*37 

spinning-wheels and fireplaces, old-fashioned 
chairs and tables. Flint-lock muskets stood by 
some of the doors, and a dog lay asleep in the 
middle of the street. Upon the hill beyond 
something that Timothy had thought was a pile 
of old lumber, covered with canvas, took the 
shape of a fort, with a small cannon mounted 
before it, protecting the village. At the end of 
the street was a well, with a long sweep. And 
the people walking about were the men and 
women who were boarding at Grandmother’s 
and at Mr. Turner’s and at Aunt Theresy’s, and 
what made them look so queer was the paint on 
their faces. 

Across the road were several wooden plat- 
forms, of varying sizes and heights, for the 
moving-picture cameras ; on one was an odd- 
looking contrivance with great canvas wings. 

“ Oh, see the air-ship ! ” cried Trudy. “ 1 
didn’t know there was going to be an air-ship 
in the picture.” 

“ That is the wind-machine,” said Mr. Sims. 
“ Those wings fly round like a giant electric fan, 
and make a breeze wherever we need one. You 


138 trudt and timothy 

can’t take moving pictures unless you have a lot 
of wind. They look flat and too stiff. So we 
make our own wind, and have it north, south, 
east or west, without depending on the weather 
man. Now,” he went on, “ Trudy, you and 
Timothy can sit right here and see all that’s 
going on. We are going to take a scene of the 
men coming home from the hunt. This is an 
early New England village. Come, kids,” to 
Claire and Isabelle, “get into your costumes. 
We shall use you very soon.” 

Isabelle and Claire ran into a tent near by, 
and soon came out looking like little copies of 
the older people. Claire was a boy, in knee- 
breeches, with a belted jacket and white collar 
and cuffs ; while Isabelle wore a little long gray 
dress, high-waisted, with a white kerchief over 
her shoulders and a white cap on her dark hair. 

“ Ready for rehearsal,” shouted Mr. Sims 
through a megaphone. “ Now, Isabelle, you’re 
on the door-step of that first cabin, knitting. 
You women folks are all in your houses, doing 
up your chores. Suddenly, Isabelle, you hear 
a horn from the forest. That tells you that the 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


l 39 

men are coming home from the hunt. You 
listen, and run indoors to tell your mother. 
Then you women hurry out to the street, gather 
in a group, look toward the forest, talk a bit, 
and finally go down to the end of the street, 
there by the well, to meet the hunters. You 
men come over the brow of the hill, right 
against the sky-line, where Joe can get a 
glimpse of you, then dip down into the hollow 
and appear at the end of the street, greeting the 
women. Got the deer ready ? ” 

It all happened just as he described it. Trudy 
and Timothy felt as if they were living in the 
early days of America, and thought the actors 
did beautifully, but Mr. Sims wasn't satisfied at 
all. 

“ Do it again,” he shouted. “ That was fierce. 
I didn't see Emma at all, and you men came 
over the hill like circus clowns. You're all 
tired out — you've been away in a strange forest 
for hours, hunting for game to eat and fearing 
an attack from hostile Indians every moment. 
Don't act so chipper ; act all worn out.” 

They did it again. “ That's better,” he told 


1 4 o TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

them. “ You're getting the notion a bit. Once 
more, now ! ” 

Five times he made them rehearse the scene 
before he was willing that the picture should be 
taken. 

“ All ready for the real thing,” he called at 
last. “ Start the wind-machine. Let her go, 
Stan ! ” 

The great propellers of the wind-machine flew 
round and round. The breeze whipped Isabelle's 
skirts as she sat on the door-step, knitting on 
her stocking. Mr. Blake turned the handle of 
the camera. Isabelle raised her head to listen 
to the imaginary horn, and ran into the house. 
Doors flew open, faces appeared at windows, and 
the women came into the street, talking, listen- 
ing, and at last pointing to the crest of the hill 
where three figures appeared, staggering under 
heavy burdens and crawling slowly along. 

The women ran to meet the men, who soon 
came into view at the end of the street. Two 
of them carried deer across their shoulders. 
“ They're stuffed ones,” Timothy whispered to 
Trudy. Surrounded by the women, the men 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


141 

walked wearily up the street. Claire danced on 
ahead. And just as the picture was almost 
done, the breeze from the wind-machine rushed 
down under the brim of one of the men’s wide 
hats, and away it sailed, up — up in the air ! 
The man jumped and grabbed for it ; Mr. Sims 
yelled “ Cut ! Stan ! ” and that part of the pic- 
ture was spoiled. They had to do it all over 
again. 

Then they took a picture of two of the women 
spinning in the house, and some “ close-ups,” 
which meant regular photographs taken quite 
large. And some “ stills,” group pictures of 
some of the scenes which would be used in ad- 
vertising the pictures. 

“ Well,” asked Mr. Sims, when they were on 
the way home, “ want to be a moving-picture 
actor ? ” 

“ Sure I do,” responded Timothy. “ When 
can I begin ? ” 

“ Timothy,” said Trudy, quite shocked, “ he 
was only fooling. We can’t be in moving 
pictures. We don’t know how.” 

“ I shouldn’t be too sure about that,” cau- 


1 42 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

tioned Mr. Sims. “ Before we get through, I 
expect we shall need a good deal of help from 
the folks in Todd's Ferry. When we get to 
doing Indians, we shall need a crowd. And 
every one will have to help.” 

“ I’ll be in all you want me to,” volunteered 
Timothy. “ I was a wounded soldier once in a 
tableau of Washington at Valley Forge.” 

“ There is one fellow I want for an Indian,” 
went on Mr. Sims, “ that Bean, who drives the 
fish-cart. He would make up great for an 
Indian.” 

“ Gracious ! ” exclaimed Trudy, “ I know 
Amos would never be an Indian. He says the 
Indians were a lazy lot. I don't believe he 
would act in a moving picture, anyway, but 
I'm positive certain sure he would never be an 
Indian ! ” 

Mr. Sims was not at all disturbed. “ Oh, 
yes, he will,” he said. “ Young lady, you don't 
know what people will do for me when I put 
on my company manners and ask them pretty 
please I ” 


CHAPTER XII 


FRANCIS GOES AWAY 

One day, near the end of July, the stage car- 
ried a strange man to Mr. Johnston’s house. 
Amos was there, with some fish for Miss Mar- 
garet, and he saw the stranger and guessed at 
once that he was the great French surgeon who 
was to cure Francis. 

“ Good-looking chap,” he told Mother on his 
way back, 11 and spoke good English, too. He 
seemed to take a liking to Francis, and Francis 
was chummy right away. I suppose they will 
go to the hospital in a few days now.” 

“ Oh, dear,” fretted Trudy, “ I wish Francis 
didn’t have to have any old operation. I’ll bet 
he will be terribly homesick, away off up there, 
and he will ache, too, and it will all be horrid.” 

“ Miss Margaret is going with him,” said 
Mother. 


143 


144 TRXJDT AND TIMOTHT 

“ Well, why don’t his father and mother come 
up and go with him ? I don’t want Miss Mar- 
garet to go away too.” 

“ His father and mother are over in Armenia. 
They are missionaries. And they sent their 
little boy home for the Johnstons to care for 
here in America. They can’t come away home 
from Armenia.” 

“ You must not feel this way, Trudy,” said 
Father. “ You want Francis to be well and 
strong, don’t you ? After a little, the aches and 
pains will pass away, and he will be able to run 
and play like the other boys. Think what fun 
you are going to have when he can go round 
with you and Timothy.” 

“ He won’t be here when he is well. In a 
little while it will be winter, and he will be 
back in Washington with the Johnstons.” 

“ Perhaps — and then again, perhaps not,” 
laughed Father, but he wouldn’t tell what he 
meant. 

Mr. Sims offered to take Francis and the 
others to the hospital in his automobile — “ Run 
you right up to the door in six hours,” he said, 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


*45 

and Francis was delighted. He said the 44 gold 
auto,” as he called the yellow car, would be ever 
so much more fun than a stuffy old berth in a 
sleeping car, and the French surgeon told Mr. 
Sims that 44 it would be of a kindness and a 
help.” 

They started early in the morning. Trudy 
and Timothy were almost crying, and Mr. 
Johnston was sniffing and wiping his eyes and 
saying something about “ an awful attack of hay 
fever,” but everybody knew that he never had 
hay fever and he was really trying hard not to 
cry. 

44 Good-bye, everybody,” called the White 
Lady, looking like a lovely nurse in her fresh 
white linen dress. “ Here goes the enchanted 
prince, off* on the journey to find the charm to 
make him well.” 

44 And the fairy godmother is on the front 
seat of the chariot,” declared Francis. 44 Good- 
bye, Trudy ! Be sure and make the best pre- 
serves in Todd's Ferry. I want you to come to 
Washington this winter. Good-bye, Timothy — 
I'll be walking when I come back, and I'll come 


i 4 6 trudt and timothy 

up in the shed-attic and make things with you. 
Write to me, both of you.” 

All the way along the road people came out 
to say good-bye and to wish Francis good luck. 

“ Young man,” said the surgeon, “ you are 
rich. You have the so many good friends.” 

Amos drew up at the side of the road to let 
them pass. 

“ Good-bye, Amos,” called Francis. “ Will you 
give me a ride on your fish-cart when I come 
home ? ” 

Amos flourished his whip, and the machine 
vanished in a cloud of dust. 

Mother and Father were very cheerful and 
hopeful before the children, but there were 
many anxious hours until the telegram came to 
Mr. Johnston. Mr. McAdam took the message 
over the telephone from the telegraph office at 
Prattville, and as soon as he had rung up Mr. 
Johnston and told him, he called every one in 
town who had a telephone. Mr. Johnston was 
doing the same thing, and they would both call 
a number at the same time, and such a mix-up 
you never saw. Father could hear Mr. Turner 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


147 

talking on the line while Mr. Johnston was 
speaking, and telephone bells rang as if they 
were crazy, but nobody minded, for in a few 
minutes the whole of Todd's Ferry knew that 
the message said “ Operation successful. Francis 
feeling fine. Home in four weeks." 

“ Now you can write to him," said the grown 
folks to the children. 

Trudy wrote her letter that afternoon. 

“ Dear Francis : " she wrote, 

“ I am so glad you are better. Miss 
Margaret's caterpillars that she had in a cage 
are not caterpillars any more. They are some- 
thing else, but I can't spell it. They ate heaps 
of carrot leaves. You tell her Timothy and I 
fed them. Mr. Johnston forgot all about them. 
Mr. Blake told me they would change into — 
that thing I can't spell — and to let him know 
when they stopped eating. So I did, and he 
made a picture of one. First the caterpillar 
spun a little silk carpet on the side of the cage, 
and stuck his hind legs in it. Then he waited 
an awful long time, and at last he began to wave 
his head from side to side, and what do you 
think? He made a kind of swing out of silk 
and hung his head and shoulders in this loop, 
and then he didn't do anything more. We got 


148 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

tired and came away, but next day when we 
looked at him, he was all brown and dry and a 
different shape. Mr. Blake says that in about 
two weeks he will be a butterfly and split his 
back and come out, the way the dragon-fly did. 
We have found a lot of little new caterpillars. 
I think they will last till you come home. 

“ Oh, I am doing up currants and raspberries 
and cherries, and the blackberries are almost 
ripe. Belle Perkins won’t tell me how much 
she has done, but I’m almost sure I’m ahead of 
her and May. Do come home soon. All send 
love. * 

“ Your loving friend, 

“ Trudy.” 

Timothy wrote a letter too, but it was shorter 
than Trudy’s and quite different. 

“ Dear Francis : ” it said, 

“ Does your leg ache ? I am haying now. 
Uncle Sam has bought a new calf from Mr. 
Perkins, and the calf is very strong. Uncle Sam 
keeps him out in the field daytimes and takes 
him into the barn nights. The other night the 
calf ran into the barn ahead of Uncle Sam, and 
tripped him up with the rope, and Uncle Sam 
got all tangled up and the calf dragged him 
way across the road and across the barn floor. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 149 

Uncle Sam bounced. He looked awful funny. 
He was mad, and black and blue. When you 
come home I am going to take you up in my 
shed-attic and show you something that nobody 
knows about but me. The boys are worse than 
ever. They have an old stove in Dave Little’s 
shed, and they are trying to make raspberry 
jam. I smelled it Hurry up and get well and 
come home. I have to help Grandfather so I 
haven’t been over to the movie village lately. 
We will go when you come home. 

“ Timothy.” 


The moving-picture company was still work- 
ing hard on the pictures. Aunt Theresy had 
told many stories of her girlhood, and they had 
used some of them. She told about the uncle 
who raised horses on the old farm, and about 
the ponies that grew up with the children and 
played with them like dogs. Aunt Theresy re- 
membered playing with the ponies herself. She 
said there used to be a deep gully in the field 
where the ponies lived, and she and her sister 
used to go out there and call the ponies. When 
they came, the girls would clutch their long 
tails, and the ponies would run swiftly down 


150 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

the gully and up the other side, dragging the 
girls behind them. The ponies liked the races 
as well as the girls did, and would come to the 
fence and whinny for play. Once, on a rainy 
day, when their mother had gone to town and 
had forbidden Aunt Theresy and her sister to go 
out-of-doors, a pony came to the door of the 
kitchen, calling and begging them to come out 
and play. As they could not go out, they let 
him in, and they raced around the kitchen 
on his back. They put the tables and chairs 
against the wall, and took turns riding. Three 
times around the room was one turn. They 
were all having such fun and making so much 
noise that they did not hear the wagon drive 
into the yard, and their mother open the door. 

“What happened then?” demanded Timo- 
thy. 

“Can’t you guess? The pony went out, and 
we stayed in — the rest of that day, and several 
more besides. We had to scrub the floor, too, 
and clean up the mud.” 

Mr. Sims made the story about the ponies into 
a part of one of his pictures. Claire and Isa- 


OUT-OF-DOORS 151 

belle were the two children, but such a time as 
they had finding a pony ! And when they did 
find one, how they had to train him before the 
children could play any tricks with him. But 
at last the picture was made. Aunt Theresy 
went over to the movie village the day they 
took it, and directed it. Of course she didn't 
shout through the megaphone, but she told Mr. 
Sims when things were right and when they 
were wrong. And how she laughed ! She said 
she laughed till her sides ached. When it was 
all done, they petted the pony and gave him 
sugar. 

None of the children was there when this pic- 
ture was made, but Claire and Isabelle told them 
all about it. 

“ Gee," said Timothy, “ if that's all you 
wanted, you might have had Uncle Sam and the 
calf, instead of going all round Robin Hood’s 
barn for a pony. That calf drags Uncle Sam all 
over the place. It's the funniest thing you ever 
saw ! " 

But when the calf wound Timothy up to a 
tree next day with his long rope, and Uncle Sam 


152 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

was up at the house entertaining some city men, 
and Aunt Helen and Trudy were busy on the 
other side of the summer kitchen, it wasn’t 
funny at all. Timothy stood helpless against 
the tree. He shouted and pulled and twisted, 
and the calf stood still and looked at him. It 
was nearly an hour before Mr. Blake strolled 
through the field and heard Timothy’s cries. 
And it was several minutes more before Timo- 
thy knew that Mr. Blake was there, because he 
focused his camera and took a picture before he 
called, “ Hi, there, Timothy, what are you doing 
to that calf? ” 

And then he had to drive the calf around the 
tree until Timothy was unwound. 

“ Shall we put him in the barn ? ” inquired 
Mr. Blake. 

“ Not much,” said Timothy, rubbing his lame 
sides, “ let Uncle Sam do that. He’s used to it. 
I’ve seen all of that calf I want to for one day.” 
And as they were walking up to the house, 
“ Say, Mr. Blake,” said Timothy, “ don’t you 
tell anybody, will you ? ” 

“ I won’t say a word,” promised Mr. Blake, 


OUT-OF-DOORS 153 

but he didn't say he wouldn't make a picture 
and show it. So he went home and sent one to 
Francis, and when Francis came home he showed 
it to Timothy, and the victim looked so cross in 
the picture that Timothy himself had to laugh 
and ask Mr. Blake to give him a print, too. 


CHAPTER XIII 


trudy’s misfortune 

It really seemed as if half of Todd’s Ferry 
had gone, with Francis and the Johnstons away. 
Mr. Johnston stayed at the hospital to be near 
Miss Margaret and Francis for a while, and Mr. 
Sims came back alone. He brought word that 
“ Francis was getting along splendidly,” but the 
doctors would not say yet just when he could 
come home. He had liked his letters and gifts, 
and he sent his best love to everybody. He 
could not write letters himself. 

Timothy was not needed to help Grandfather 
much now, so he spent a good deal of time in 
the summer kitchen of the little red house with 
Trudy, watching her make preserves. It was 
now the middle of August. Blueberries and 
blackberries were ripe. Timothy remembered 
the figure of the Chinese coolie at Aunt Theresy’s 
who carried his two boxes of tea hung from a 
154 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


*55 

stick across his shoulders, and used the idea in 
his berry-picking. He took an old strap, cut it 
just long enough to go around his neck and 
come nearly to his waist on either side ; then 
he fastened a hook in each end, and hung his 
pails on them. This left his hands free for 
picking. The first day he tried it, he filled one 
pail before the other and the weight of the 
berries sent the other pail up under his chin, 
but he fixed that by fastening another piece of 
strap across his chest, and picking into both 
pails. Then he had no more trouble. 

“ I'm going to work just as hard as ever I 
can,” Trudy told him one morning, “so that 
when Francis comes home I'll have more time 
to play.” 

They were in the summer kitchen. Timothy 
was reading one of Trudy's leaflets ; she was 
getting her pans and kettles and jars ready, and 
Dilly, the cat, was lying stretched out on the 
floor, watching an ant that had lost its way 
and was running back and forth. 

Timothy would not admit it, but he had 
spent so much time with Trudy lately that he 


156 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

was getting really interested in her work. And 
at the first of the summer, when she had needed 
a wire bottom for the wash-boiler to make a 
sterilizer, Timothy had measured and cut some 
heavy wire netting to fit the boiler. 

“ What are you going to make this morning?” 
he asked. 

“ Blueberries,” she answered, “ and to-morrow 
I'm going to try blackberry jam. I made rasp- 
berry jam, you know, and it came out fine. 
Belle didn't have any luck at all with hers. 
Amos said he saw her throwing it away when 
he came by her house one day, but don’t you 
tell anybody. I'm going to try everything I 
can think of ; I want to get that trip to Wash- 
ington just awfully! I wish you'd go, Tim- 
othy.” 

“ Probably I shall,” he replied, although he 
hadn't the least idea where he could get the 
money. Grandmother had said he should not 
take any money out of the bank — his share of 
the profits of T. and T. Todd's store — and he 
had not earned five dollars during the summer. 
But he meant to get it somehow. And then an 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


l S7 

idea flashed into his mind ! Grandfather did 
not need him now — he could climb trees better 
than Claire — he was a real boy, while she was 
only a make-believe — why couldn’t he get a job 
with the moving-picture company? He made 
up his mind to ask Mr. Sims that very night I 

Trudy was speaking — “ Timothy, would you 
mind wrapping these jars in paper and taking 
them down cellar? See if the labels are on all 
of them, will you ? ” 

Father had bought some white gummed labels 
with red edges, and Trudy printed on them the 
kind of preserve in the jar and “ Put up by T. 
Todd.” There wasn’t much room on the labels, 
not enough to print such a long word as Ger- 
trude, and she couldn’t make a good “ G ” any- 
way, so as long as Timothy wasn’t trying for the 
prize, and because everybody called her “ Trudy ” 
she used the name T. Todd, as they had done on 
the sign for the store. 

Trudy put the blueberries in a strainer and 
rinsed them thoroughly ; then she poured them 
out in.o plates and picked them over, throwing 
away every little stem, bit of leaf or poor berry. 


158 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

She had her glass jars in a row on a bench by 
the sink, and on the stove was a kettle of hot 
syrup — sugar and water — nearly boiling. 

She filled her jars with the fresh blueberries 
and turned to see if the syrup was ready. It 
boiled and bubbled. She reached for her holder 
to take the kettle from the stove. 

Timothy had come up from the cellar and was 
standing in the doorway that led to the shed, 
watching the cat, who had followed the ant 
and was poking him with her paw. 

There was a crash — an awful scream — a thud 
— and a stillness that was more terrifying than 
the noise ! Timothy wheeled about. Trudy lay 
on the floor, very still, her arms stretched out, 
and the hot syrup was oozing from under them 
in thick, sticky streams. Timothy ran to her, 
kicked the kettle out of the way, and dragged 
her from the boiling liquid. She hung limp and 
did not move or speak. Her eyes were closed. 
Timothy was more frightened than he had ever 
been in all his life. He ran into the house, 
shouting : “ Aunt Helen ! Uncle Sam ! Oh, 
come quick — somebody come quick ! ” 



SHE FILLED HER JARS WITH THE FRESH BLUEBERRIES 





OUT-OF-DOORS 


l 59 

Mother was up-stairs making the beds, but 
she had heard Trudy scream and was already 
running down. She met Timothy in the din- 
ing-room. 

“ What is it ? ” she gasped. 

“ It's Trudy — the kettle of hot syrup fell on 
her and — she is— she can't — oh, do something 
quick I ” 

They ran to the summer kitchen. Trudy lay 
as Timothy had left her. He saw that her arms 
and hands were red and blistered. 

“ It’s not her face or chest,” said Mother, re- 
lieved. “ It might have been worse, Timothy. 
Help me to get her on the couch.” 

Mother lifted Trudy in her arms. Timothy 
ran ahead and opened the doors. 

“ Get some water, and a bowl,” directed 
Mother. She hurried to the pantry for the 
baking-soda. “ I want to get those burns cov- 
ered before she comes to.” 

Trudy lay flat on the couch, still unconscious, 
while Mother made a thin paste of the baking- 
soda and water and smeared it on the burns. 
Trudy began to stir and moan. 


160 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


“ Telephone for the doctor now, Timothy, and 
call up Father. He is at Mr. Johnston's. Ask 
him to come home, but don't alarm him. Trudy 
is going to feel better in a minute." 

Mother undressed Trudy carefully, ripping up 
the sleeves of her dress so that she would not have 
to pull them off over the poor arms. 

“ Oh, Mother — Mother," sobbed Trudy, “ my 
arms hurt so — and all my fingers ! Oh, Mother, 
I feel sick ! And I did try to be careful." 

“ I know you did, darling," said Mother, “ and 
I'm so sorry. But be a brave girl — here, drink 
this. Doctor will be here soon, and he will 
make the arms better." 

Timothy came back, looking very sober. 

“How did it happen, Timothy?" asked 
Mother. 

“ I don't know. I wasn’t looking at her, but 
all of a sudden I heard an awful racket, and she 
screamed, and that's all." 

“ I don't know, either," said Trudy. “ I was 
taking the kettle off the stove and it tipped and 
I was awfully scared and everything got black 
and I waked up here." 


OUT-OF-DOORS 161 

“ The doctor says he will be right up,” said 
Timothy. 

Father ran down the hill and into the house. 
He had guessed from Timothy's voice that some- 
thing had happened. He carried Trudy up- 
stairs and put her in her own bed ; Mother kept 
wetting her arms in the cool paste of soda and 
water. 

When the doctor came and saw her arms and 
hands, he whistled. “ You won't be able to use 
those hands much for three or four weeks. They 
will come out all right in the end, but it's going 
to take time.” 

Trudy was too sick and miserable to care 
what he said, but Timothy, sitting on the stairs, 
heard every word. He saw every word, too, as 
if it was printed on the wall before him, in 
letters six feet high. “ Three or four weeks ! ” 
That meant no more preserving for a month ; 
that meant blueberries and blackberries gone 
by ; early pears and plums, perhaps ; it meant 
— oh, dear, it meant no chance at all for that 
trip to Washington ! Probably Belle Perkins 
and May Barnes would go, unless Ben Dobson 


162 trudt and timothy 

took a prize. He knew Ben was working hard. 
Trudy couldn't do any more preserving. Mother 
couldn't do it for her ; the rules were that no 
grown-ups could really do any of the work. It 
wouldn't be fair to ask Belle or May, or any of 
the rest, to do any of Trudy’s work. She would 
feel terribly when she realized what the doctor 
had said ; and her arms were going to sting and 
burn for days and days ! Timothy remembered 
how his Fourth of July burns had felt, and they 
were nothing compared to these. It was pretty 
tough ! 

He went down-stairs and out into the summer 
kitchen. The doctor was bandaging Trudy's 
arms, and Timothy did not want to hear her 
cry any more. The miserable old syrup was 
cold now. It lay on the floor in sticky, sugary 
cakes. The berries were in the jars. Her 
sterilizer stood on two chairs. The leaflets he 
had been reading lay on the table. He looked 
slowly around. 

The summer kitchen was a nice place, but 
any one coming into the barn could walk right 
in and see what you were doing. Grand- 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


163 

mother's preserve kitchen was much better ; no 
one ever came there, and the white mosquito 
netting on the windows kept any one from 
looking in ; Grandmother had a sterilizer — 
Timothy snatched up all the leaflets, stuffed 
them into his blouse and ran home ! 

Grandmother was washing. He came down- 
stairs from his room, and into the kitchen. 

“ I'll turn the wringer for you, Grandmother," 
he said. And in a minute, “ Trudy burned her 
arms just now. She can't use 'em for three or 
four weeks — they're all bandaged up — now she 

can't go to Washington " 

“ Goodness me ! " cried Grandmother, wring- 
ing the water from her hands, “ the poor lamb ! 
I must go right over." 

“ She can't get that prize," Timothy went on, 
never noticing what Grandmother was saying, 

“ unless Say, Grandmother ! " 

He went close to her and whispered in her 
ear. She forgot about going to Trudy. She sat 
down and pulled Timothy into her lap, and said, 
“ My blessed child — of course we will ! " 

“ And you won't tell Amos ? Nor the boys ? 


1 64 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

And you won't let anybody come in where they 
can see me ? ” 

“ No,” she promised, “ no, indeed ! ” 

“ Well, I'd better get busy,” he said, with a 
sigh, wriggling out of her lap. “ Where are my 
pails? I'll go out and get some more blue- 
berries. That book says you ought to put ’em 
up the day you pick 'em.” 


CHAPTER XIV 


INVALIDS 

When Trudy began to feel a little stronger 
and mourned about her hands and about the 
interrupted preserving, Father talked to her. 

He said, “ Now, honey, we aren't going to 
think about preserving at all. And you are not 
to fret about the Washington trip. None of us 
can always do exactly as we want to, but it only 
makes matters worse to fuss and whine about 
our disappointments. That sort of thing just 
kills happiness for everybody. It is too bad 
that you burned your hands — but it was wholly 
an accident and nobody's fault, so we will just 
get them well as fast as we can. If you can't 
go to Washington, perhaps you can have some 
other pleasure. Think of Francis — he couldn't 
walk for more that twelve years — he didn't 
complain ; and in a few days you will be up 
165 


1 66 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


again, while in a few weeks the hands will be 
as good as new.” 

Aunt Theresy came over to see Trudy, and 
brought some wonderful paper dolls that she 
had played with when she was a little girl. 
They had old-fashioned clothes, like some of the 
things in Grandmother’s attic. Amos called 
often. Mr. Turner melted down some maple 
sugar, and made her some scallopy little cakes. 
Miss Fields sent up some delicious cookies, and 
every one was as kind as could be. Then, on the 
fourth day after the accident, came a letter from 
Francis himself to Trudy, and that was the best 
of all. It was only a wee bit of a letter, but it 
was full of big news. It said that he was coming 
home the next day. And that was the day that 
the doctor had said that Trudy might be dressed. 

“ You and Francis can get well together,” 
said Mother. “ You were wishing you would 
have plenty of time to play with him.” 

“ I’ll be glad to have somebody,” said Trudy. 
“ Timothy doesn’t come over very much now. 
And when he comes, he doesn’t say anything. 
He’s queer.” 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


167 

“ He's pretty busy, I guess," remarked Father. 
“ You know he has more to do, now that he 
is growing up. These moving-picture people 
make extra work for Grandmother." 

Timothy said he was going to take a day off 
when Francis came home. He expected that 
Francis would be all well, and able to race about 
the fields, so he was surprised and disappointed 
when he saw Francis come home exactly as he 
went away, on a bed in the big yellow automo- 
bile. He was thinner, too, and white, but, oh, 
wasn't he happy ! And didn't his eyes shine ! 
And didn’t he wave his hand to every one and 
call, “ Hullo, I'm so glad to be back." And to 
Timothy he cried, “ Come over to-morrow." 

“ Yes," echoed Miss Margaret, as the machine 
slowed up in passing Grandfather's house, 
“ come over to-morrow, Timothy. Francis is 
tired after his ride, and must go right to bed." 

Timothy trudged down the hill, scuffing his 
toes in the dust ; he came back up through the 
pasture to see a woodchuck's hole, and finally 
climbed the stairs to his shed-attic. Ben Dob- 
son, going home with some blueberries, saw him 


1 68 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


and called, 44 Hey, Timothy, come on down to 
the village this after, and play ball.” 

44 Can’t.” 

44 Aw, come on I Don’t be mean. If you 
come, we can get up a scrub team.” 

41 Won’t.” 

44 Well, don’t, then ! ” And Ben went away. 

Ben was not the only one who thought Timo- 
thy was queer. Mr. Sims and Mr. Blake asked 
him why he never came over to the movie vil- 
lage now, and he went out of the room without 
answering. But every day he picked berries or 
fruit, and every day he disappeared into the 
shed-attic. The queer part of it was that he 
always seemed to go in, and never seemed to 
come out. 

Francis felt bad when he learned about 
Trudy’s accident. She came over every day to 
see him. He still sat in the wheel-chair, but 
each day now he could stand on his feet, and 
soon he should begin to walk. He told Trudy 
he should have to learn, just like a baby, but he 
wasn’t going to begin by creeping ! 

One day he was in the chair. Trudy lay in 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


169 

the hammock. She was reading aloud, but he 
had to turn the pages for her, because her hands 
were still bandaged. She had two or three fin- 
gers out, but was still clumsy. Stanley Blake 
came by with his camera, and stopped to rest. 

“ Hullo, invalids,” he called, “ and how are 
we to-day ? ” 

11 Fine/' they answered. “ Come on up. How 
are the movies ? ” 

“ Great ! Say, what do you think ? I’ve per- 
suaded Sims to take a series of pictures about 
Aunt Theresy’s big trees. I've been looking up 
trees a little, and I don’t believe there are any 
other trees like those east of the Mississippi, and 
I want them preserved and made known to the 
public. So we are making a set of pictures, be- 
ginning when the trees were little, and show- 
ing what might have happened under them, all 
through the years.” 

“ How could you get them little ? ” asked 
Trudy. 

“ Oh, we used some other trees, of course, but 
we fixed up the surroundings to make it look 
like the same place. First, the trees are all 


170 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

alone, with only squirrels and deer near 
them " 

“ Stuffed ones? " 

“ I should say not ! Real ones ; we borrowed 
some from the game park and enclosed a big 
space with wire netting so they couldn’t get 
away. Then we had Indians about their camp- 
fire ; the early settlers — and say, that was a good 
one. We had a hunter climbing the tall tree to 
locate a landmark in the forest; we had the 
white men trading with the Indians ; the stage- 
coach driving along the road ; wood-choppers 
felling trees near by and squaring the logs by 
hand ; and finally Aunt Theresy's grandfather 
home from a long voyage, coming out to greet 
his old friends the big trees. I already had a 
picture of Aunt Theresy, you know. That com- 
pleted the series." 

“ Isn't that splendid I What are you going 
to do with them ? " 

“ I'd love to see that picture." 

“ Perhaps you will. I hope thousands of 
people will see it, if it will make them think 
before they destroy timber so recklessly 0 Well, 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


171 

Trudy, how are the arms ? I don’t suppose you 
can catch up on preserving in time to try for 
the prizes.” 

“ I’m afraid not,” she said. u Since I burned 
myself, I have a horrid feeling every time I go 
near the stove.” 

“ Isn’t it a mean shame?” exclaimed Francis. 
u I know she would have won a prize.” 

“ You don’t know any such thing. But any- 
way, I don’t care as much as I did at first, be- 
cause Timothy isn’t going. All the time I 
wanted him to go. I wouldn’t have half as 
good a time without Timothy.” 

Mr. Blake strolled down the hill. It was a 
warm, sultry day, and the edge of the field 
under the trees was pleasanter than the hot 
dusty road, so he went across lots and up to 
Grandmother’s back door, intending to ask for 
a drink of water. 

His feet made no sound on the grass, so it 
happened that he stepped up to the screen door 
and knocked, just as Timothy crossed the 
kitchen with a tray full of blackberry preserves. 
Timothy’s sleeves were rolled up, and he had a 


172 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

white towel pinned about his waist. He looked 
very hot, but very businesslike. Mr. Blake 
would have gone away, for he guessed Timothy’s 
secret, but it was too late. Timothy had heard 
the knock. Stanley Blake stepped into the 
kitchen. 

“ I was going to ask for a drink of water,” he 
explained, “ but the first thing I want to do is 
to shake hands with you, Timothy, as soon as 
you can put down those preserves.” 

“ My hands are sticky.” 

“ So much the better. I shall be sure it isn’t 
a dream. Young man, you’re a brick. I’m 
proud to be your friend ! ” 

They shook hands. 

“ Would you mind telling me how you’re 
getting on?” asked Mr. Blake, looking at the 
jars with their neat labels. They were marked 
exactly the same as Trudy’s. “ Blackberry Jam 
— Put up by T. Todd.” 

“ And that’s the truth,” said Timothy. 
“ T. Todd did every bit of it.” 

“ But how have you kept it so quiet? Trudy 
doesn’t know.” 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


*73 

Then Timothy told him about the secret 
passage, but he never mentioned his plan of 
earning money by posing for the moving-picture 
people and giving it up to help Trudy. 

“ So this is what you've been up to lately," 
said Mr. Blake ; “ no wonder we haven't seen 
any more of you. Have you done much ? " 
Timothy took him down cellar and showed 
him his work. Mr. Blake turned to him and 
slapped him on the back. 

“ Timothy," he said, “ are you too busy to 
pose for me a bit? I want to get this whole 
thing for the Agricultural Department. It will 
be the finest kind of a picture to use to gain 
interest in this work among boys and girls. 

I'll pay you well, and " 

“ Sure ! " shouted Timothy, a vision of the 
Capitol and the Washington Monument flashing 
into his mind. “You bet I will! " 

“ We'll begin to-day, if you are ready. Here's 
the camera and the light is right." 

“ But how will you get Trudy to pose? She 
mustn't know anything about what I'm doing." 
44 I'll fix that all right. You know you can 


i 7 4 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

take a moving picture in all kinds of sections 
and then put them together.” 

Later he went to the red farmhouse. 

“ Trudy,” he said, “ will you please go to bed 
again ? ” He pulled some bandages out of his 
pocket. “ And hold out your arms. I'm going 
to put these on.” 

“ Why — what — do — you — mean ? ” 

“ I want to use you and your accident as a 
warning to other boys and girls to be careful of 
hot syrup when they are preserving, — for the 
Government, you know. You don't object to 
traveling all over the country as a warning, do 
you?” 

“ I don't want to get burned again.” 

“ I should say not ! But haven't you seen 
enough of the tricks of moving pictures by this 
time to know that I won’t let you be hurt ? ” 

Mother agreed. Mr. Blake took a picture of 
Trudy in the fields among the berry bushes ; 
another of Trudy working with her preserving 
outfit; then a picture of the stove, with steam 
rising from the kettle of hot syrup. The next 
one showed her lying on the floor, while the 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


*75 

boiling syrup apparently flowed all about her, 
but really it wasn’t near her at all, and she was 
only pretending to be hurt this time. But it 
looked fearfully like the real accident. 

He told Timothy that the pictures came out 
all right. He and Timothy worked together 
several afternoons, in the shed-attic, in the dark 
attic and in Grandmother’s kitchen. But the 
last picture of the series could not be taken at 
this time. Mr. Blake wanted to show Trudy 
and Timothy with all the preserves, and that, 
of course, would have to wait until the secret 
could be told. 

He did not mention how much he was going 
to pay, but Timothy did not give that a thought. 
He knew it would be a fair price, and Francis 
had said that Washington was lovely in the 
early spring, and that the prize-winners ought 
to wait and come then, so Timothy planned to 
have all winter to earn any money that he 
might need, after Mr. Blake had paid him. He 
was sure that he could earn enough by spring- 
time. 

Timothy felt much happier now that he had 


176 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

shared his secret with Stanley Blake. Every 
time that Mr. Blake’s work carried him by 
Grandmother’s house, he would go quietly 
around to the white-covered windows of the 
summer kitchen, whistle, and if there was an 
answer, say softly, “ How goes it, partner?” 

And then Timothy would play a tune on his 
pans with his big spoon, and answer, “ Fine 
and dandy I ” 


CHAPTER XV 


INDIANS 

Timothy came up from the cellar. “ I'm all 
ready for grape jelly, now," he told Grand- 
mother, “ and that book says wild grapes, not 
too ripe, make elegant jelly. I know where 
there is a wild grape vine, over by the Indian 
oven and I'm going over to get some." 

Grandfather was in the kitchen, preparing to 
go to the village. 

“ I'll come around that way and bring you 
home," he said. “ Grapes are heavy to carry, 
and you can put all you want in the back of 
the wagon." 

Timothy slipped out the back door and took 
a short cut through the woods. Usually at this 
time he would have been in school, but Miss 
Fields had asked the committee if the school 
term could not begin a little later, in order that 
177 


178 trudt and timotht 

the children might have more time for their 
preserving. They were all so interested and 
trying so hard for the prizes that this plan had 
been adopted. 

Timothy was wondering who would get those 
trips to Washington. He was wondering, too, 
how much Mr. Blake would pay him for acting 
in their picture — five dollars, maybe — perhaps 
ten, no, that would be too much to hope for — 
when suddenly he smelled smoke. Smoke — -in 
the dry September woods I 

“Jiminy crickets!” he exclaimed. “ Who's 
been careless now? Some of those plaguey 
boarders, I expect ! ” 

He hurried along. The smell grew stronger. 
Soon he reached the lake road. As he stepped 
out from the woods, he could see a thin streamer 
of smoke rising above the young trees. It did 
not seem like a fire, so he walked along, not 
frightened, but curious. And then, through an 
opening in the woods, he saw them ! 

Indians I Seven brown-skinned Indians, sit- 
ting about a fire that blazed in the Indian oven ! 
For a minute he was ready to run ; then he 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


179 

realized that they were the moving-picture peo- 
ple making a picture, and after that he heard 
Mr. Sims shouting. Timothy could not believe 
his ears I For Mr. Sims was yelling, “ Turn your 
face more this way, Bean. Those feathers hide 
your nose ! ” 

Amos, who had no use for Indians I Amos 
was acting in a moving picture as an Indian 
chief! And a splendid Indian he made, too. 
Timothy watched him as he rose slowly, thin 
and muscular in his brown tights, with his long 
feather head-dress blowing in the breeze from 
the wind-machine. Amos reached for his bow 
and arrow, sighted through the trees and aimed 
— straight at Timothy ! But Timothy was 
scooting around to get behind Mr. Sims and the 
camera, and the arrow fell harmlessly across the 
road. 

“ Hi,” said Timothy, appearing at the side of 
Mr. Sims who had just called, “ All over,” “ Say, 
Amos, you’re a great one. Thought you had 
no use for Indians.” 

“ They’re a poor lot,” replied Amos, “ but 
this man is so set on having Indian pictures 


180 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


that I'm trying to show him what an Indian 
might have been. Might as well make the best 
of them. Don't you think I'm a handsome 
bird? I'm thinking of getting one of these 
suits to wear on the fish-cart. Suppose I'd get 
any new customers ? " 

“ More likely you'd get captured and carried 
off by a circus," said a voice behind them as 
Grandfather drove up from the village. 

“ Say," said Mr. Sims, “ I may as well tell 
you now while you're here. We're making one 
more picture — this is one scene— and Wednes- 
day we are planning to take a big scene over by 
Aunt Theresy's house. We want everybody in 
it, so be sure to be on hand, at eight sharp. 
Costumes will be there and everything will be 
ready. Don't forget, Mr. Todd ! " 

“ Why, you don't want an old man like me. 
I couldn't act." 

“ Sure, we do, and you needn't think about 
acting. Our own people will take the leading 
parts, but we are going to use the Todd's Ferry 
folks too, all we can get of them. I was going 
to put a notice up in the store, but that would 


OUT-OF-DOORS 181 

attract the boarders, and we don’t want them in 
this particular picture.” 

“ Oh, Grandfather, say you will ! ” 

“ Of course he will,” Amos assured them. 
“ Jonas never went back on Todd’s Ferry yet, 
and I guess he won’t begin now.” 

“Well, if you think I shan’t spoil the 
picture ” 

“ Good,” said Mr. Sims, “ and slip up to 
Turner’s and tell him, will you? And Tim- 
othy, you get word to the Johnstons and 
Francis.” 

The big trees, in all their long lives, had 
never looked down upon quite such a scene as 
the one they saw on Wednesday morning. 
Three or four big wooden platforms and the 
wind-machine had been brought over ; a tent 
had been put up for the men’s dressing-room ; 
the women were to dress in Aunt Theresy’s 
house. Indians and colonists strolled about; 
it was hard work to recognize the people of 
Todd’s Ferry. 

“ Haven’t had so much fun since I was a 
boy,” chuckled Mr. Turner, tickling Ben Dob- 


1 82 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

son's ribs. Ben was an Indian, in brown tights 
and feathers, like Amos. 

Mother and the White Lady, Grandmother, 
Aunt Theresy and Miss Fields were housewives. 
They wore gray or brown cotton dresses, with 
white collars and cuffs. Trudy and May Barnes 
and Belle Perkins had costumes just like theirs, 
but Isabelle was a little Indian girl. Claire was 
a settler's boy who lived near the big trees. 
And Francis was to be in this picture ! He 
was a settler's boy, but lame ; Mr. Sims had 
planned a part on purpose for him. 

Now Mr. Sims was shouting through his 
megaphone : “ Sit down, everybody, and I'll 
tell you what to do." 

So under the big trees sat the people of Todd's 
Ferry, dressed as Indians and early settlers, just 
as the real Indians and colonists had probably 
gathered years and years before ; and Mr. Sims 
explained the picture. 

“ Near this village," he said, “ the Indians are 
friendly. Indian children and white children 
play together under the big trees — we'll take 
that scene in a few minutes — but, all through 


OUT-OF-DOORS 183 

the country, bands of other Indian tribes are 
roving, hunting, fishing and trapping, and these 
tribes are not friendly. One of these enemy 
bands finds its way here, on a day when the 
friendly Indians are away from their village. 
Aunt Theresy, here, has always been kind to 
the Indians, and her little grandson — that’s 
Claire — has played with them fearlessly. But on 
the day when this hostile tribe comes, the child, 
playing near the edge of the village, is stolen by 
them and carried away. (That scene will be 
taken at our location in the meadow.) The 
hostile tribe, finding the village undefended, 
attacks, but is driven away by the friendly 
Indians, who return just in time to save the 
whites. They fail to rescue the little boy, how- 
ever. Fifteen years go by. Aunt Theresy still 
lives here. The big trees are undisturbed. One 
day the women of the village have gathered 
under the trees to make soap. The big iron 
kettles are boiling on the fires. Boys and girls 
of the day when Claire was stolen are men and 
women now. But there is still trouble with the 
Indians at times, so, when a little boy runs from 


1 84 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

the woods, screaming 1 Indians 1 ’ — that’s you, 
Timothy — the women hastily retreat to the 
houses, taking the hot soap kettles with them. 
We’ll take that scene right here. Then the 
Indians attack the village — the women throw 
boiling soap on them from the windows — the 
men return from the hunt and attack the 
Indians, driving them down the street toward 
these big trees. Suddenly the young Indian 
chief — that’s you, Bean — sees the trees. They 
bring back memories of his childhood, almost 
forgotten ; he orders his men to stop fighting 
and they slink unwillingly into the forest; he 
throws down his weapons and, making signs of 
peace, approaches the settlers. They are amazed, 
but want to see what it all means. He points 
to the tall trees, then, still indicating peace, goes 
up the street to — — ” 

“ Aunt Theresy’s house ! He is the boy that 
the Indians stole,” shouted Timothy. 

“ Right — and now we’ll begin.” 

The movie men built great fires on the ground 
near the big trees. The fires were really on 
sheets of tin, but these were covered and did not 


OUT-OF-DOORS 185 

show. They drove forked sticks into the ground 
on either side of the fires, and on sticks that 
crossed these they hung the big round iron 
kettles and put in water to bubble and steam. 
Mr. Blake set up his camera ; the wind-machine 
was lifted to its platform. “ All ready for re- 
hearsal,” called Mr. Sims. “ Aunt Theresy, that 
front kettle is yours. Miss Fields, you help her. 
The rest of you divide up in the background. 
Francis, you’re right there by the trees, and the 
other children play about. Timothy, you grad- 
ually work your way over into those bushes, and 
when I whistle, you rush out, just as scared as 
you can make yourself, and yell 4 Indians ! ’ 
And yell it, too — don’t have any make-believe 
stuff! Remember there are a dozen or more 
painted, screeching Indians behind you, with 
tomahawks and scalping knives. Imagine that 
you feel them grabbing you by the hair ! And 
the rest of you people, don’t look as if you were 
waiting to hear him yell. You keep your mind 
on your soap-making until you hear him, then 
get into action. Francis, you stay right there, 
but look as frightened as you can. The women 


1 86 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


will all rush for the houses, with the kettles ; 
then Miss Fields, you remember Francis. You 
and Mrs. Samuel Todd will dash back after him, 
and carry him to safety. I guess you can man- 
age — he isn’t very heavy.” 

It was all real to Timothy, so when he leaped 
out from the bushes, shrieking, “ Oh, Indians — 
Indians!” the women and children just gave 
one look behind them and raced for shelter. 
And then, from beyond the trees, four great 
painted Indians ran swiftly toward the aban- 
doned fires ! 

“ The chief and his men are attacking the 
other end of the village,” explained Mr. Sims. 
“ We shall put the picture all together when it 
is done.” 

He talked a minute with Mr. Blake. “ That 
was very good,” he said, “ once more, and then 
we’ll try the picture.” 

Back they all went to do it over again. 

“ Don’t think of the camera,” he told them. 
“ Imagine you are really and truly the persons 
you are pretending to be.” 

The wind-machine was started. Mr. Blake 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


187 

took his place at the camera, and the women 
bent over the soap kettles. They talked and 
laughed while the children ran about and 
played and called to Francis, under the trees. 
It all happened exactly as Mr. Sims wanted it ; 
and after Francis had been rescued, the Indians 
crept up to the fires and then raced away. 

44 Why didn’t you throw soap on them?” de- 
manded Timothy, much disappointed. “ You 
said they would.” 

44 Well, unfortunately we haven’t the movie 
village, with the proper houses and windows, 
here,” replied Mr. Blake. 44 We’ll do that some 
other day.” 

44 That was very good,” said Mr. Sims. 44 Now, 
Amos, do your stunt.” 

And now it was the men’s turn. The women 
sat on the grass in front of Aunt Theresy’s 
house, and watched the battle under the big 
trees. Indians and colonists fought and 
struggled, near the woods at first, but slowly 
drawing nearer to the trees. Suddenly the 
young chief leaped into the open space sur* 
rounding the trees. Away from the battle for 


1 88 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

a moment, he stopped to rest and seemed to see 
the trees for the first time. He looked up at 
them — then from side to side, as if seeking for 
something. He called to his men, loudly, com- 
mandingly. Unwillingly they came to him and 
he ordered them away ; they did not dare to 
disobey him, so, one by one, they disappeared 
into the forest. The settlers watched this strange 
scene wonderingly. The young chief looked 
about him again, and slowly let his bow and 
arrows drop from his hands ; he stretched his 
empty arms to the white men and approached 
them. They stood aside. He went slowly on, 
toward a certain house in the village. 

“ Enough,” ordered Mr. Sims, as the audience 
broke into loud hand-clapping. “ Any time you 
want a job in my company, Mr. Amos Bean,” 
he went on, “ you can have it. That was a 
mighty fine piece of acting. If you and Aunt 
Theresy finish up as well as you have begun, I 
shall have one grand little picture.” 

Amos blinked a bit and rubbed his eyes as he 
dropped down onto the grass. 

“Pooh,” he said, “anybody could have done 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


189 

it if they stopped to think, after the way you 
explained it. It was good fun, but I guess, as 
a steady job, I’ll stick to fish-peddling. It’s 
easier on your brain.” 

Aunt Theresy came to her front door. 

“Hot coffee,” she called. “Can’t you stop 
now and have a bit of lunch ? Mr. Johnston has 
sent down sandwiches, and Miss Fields brought 
over some of her cookies.” 

Such a shout as went up when they heard 
this I Soon every one was eating and talking. 

After lunch they drove over to the movie 
village and took the rest of the scenes, because 
it was such a beautiful day and the light was so 
good. And there was more boiling water and 
steam, and Timothy saw the make-believe hot 
soap thrown out of the windows at — but not on 
—the Indians. 

Mr. Sims said it was too bad to work a new 
company so hard, but they all assured him they 
were having great fun. The scenes were all 
satisfactory, and when the Todd’s Ferry Troupe, 
as he called them, went home that night, he 
told them he was sure the picture would be a 


1 9 o TRUDT AND TIMOTHT 

success. And a day or two later every one who 
had been in the pictures received a clean new 
five dollar bill ! 

Timothy looked at his. “ Five dollars more 
for my trip,” he said to Grandmother when he 
gave it to her to put away, “ and Mr. Blake 
hasn’t paid me yet. I’ve got twelve dollars 
now. I’ll bet I get enough, don’t you, Grand- 
mother ? ” 

And Grandmother smiled and said, “ I'm 
sure I hope so, Timothy.” 


CHAPTER XVI 


PREPARATIONS FOR — 

The Prize Exhibition of 
Canning and Preserving 
by the boys and girls of Todd's Ferry 
will be held on 
September 17 , 
in the Town Hall . 

Admission Free . 

Prizes will be awarded at 8 P. M. 

Exhibition open from 10 A. M. to 10 P. M. 

This notice was posted in the store, at Todd 
House, at Miss Fields’ tea-room, and at all the 
boarding-houses. Besides these places, Amos 
said he saw a notice in the Prattville post- 
office. 

The Johnstons’ big house was a very busy 
place ; the boys and girls came there to find out 
191 


192 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

just how to arrange their exhibits; Miss Fields 
came up to help Francis with his bird lists, for 
Mr. Johnston wanted more than simply pre- 
serves in the exhibition. The lists of birds seen 
by the children were to be copied and posted. 
Timothy was to have an exhibition of photo- 
graphs and post-cards. Aunt Theresy had 
promised to loan some of her curiosities. There 
were to be sections for vegetables raised by the 
children, and any sewing done by the girls. 
Mr. Blake had volunteered to give them some 
moving pictures for an entertainment. 

Every one was hurrying those last few days. 
Belle Perkins brought her jelly and jam up 
from the cellar closet three days before the ex- 
hibition, and her mother made her take it all 
back again, because it filled all the tables and 
there was no place to cook or eat. 

Ben Dobson spent so much time talking at 
the different houses when he should have been 
taking orders for the store that Mr. McAdam 
lost all patience and threatened to discharge 
him. Francis worked too hard and was tired 
and cross. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


193 

Trudy saw every one excited and busy, and 
she would go down cellar where her jars and 
tumblers, all wrapped in paper, stood on the 
shelves, and oh, how bad she felt! Not even 
Mother quite knew how Trudy had wanted to 
win that prize and take that wonderful journey 
to Washington. Father and Mother thought 
she was a brave girl because she did not say 
much about her disappointment, but they did 
not know how many times she sat on the cellar 
stairs and cried. Timothy found her there one 
day. 

“ What's the matter ? ” he said. 

“ Nothing." 

“ Of course there is. If there wasn't anything 
the matter you wouldn't be crying." And then 
he saw the preserves “ Say," he began. 

“ What ? " said Trudy, wiping her eyes. 

“ Don't vou feel bad about that old trip ! I'll 
bet 

“ Oh, Timothy, I don't believe I'll go to the 
exhibition. I just know Belle Perkins is going 
o get the prize ; every one says her preserves 
are wonderful, and I can't bear to think of my 


i 9 4 TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

Santa Claus man and the White Lady taking 
Belle all over Washington when we're not 
there 1 ” 

But Timothy had heard only the first sen- 
tence. Trudy was not going to the exhibition ! 
Why, that would spoil everything. He knew — 
he was absolutely sure that the exhibit of T. and 
T. Todd was every bit as good as Belle's. And 
there were two prizes, anyway. 

He stamped his foot. 

“ Now, see here, Gertrude Todd, you are go- 
ing to that exhibition ! Do you want folks to 
call you a squealer? And I guess you aren't 
going to be mean enough to go back on the 
Santa Claus man after all he's done for you ; 
why, he's just depending on us to see that every- 
thing goes off all right. He told me so. You 
and I have got to explain things to the specta- 
tors. Now you quit being such a cry-baby, and 
brace up, see ! " 

He wanted awfully to say more, but he was 
afraid that he would tell the secret, so he had 
to scold and be very cross. It seemed to do 
Trudy good, for she replied, “ Why, of course I'll 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


l 95 

have to go if the Santa Claus man needs me, 
but, oh dear ” 

“ Well, that’s all right, then,” said Timothy. 
“ Now I’m going home. I’ve got work to do.” 

“ In the shed-attic ? Mayn’t I come?” 

“ No, you may not. It’s a secret.” 

For weeks Timothy had refused to let any 
one go into the shed-attic with him, although 
he seemed to spend a great deal of time there. 
Now he said it was a secret, so Trudy thought 
he was making another “ contraption,” as Amos 
called Timothy’s home-made playthings. 

Two days before the exhibition every one was 
just tired enough to be cross. Father noticed 
that the children could hardly speak without 
quarreling, so he said : “ It seems to me that we 
need a fishing trip. There’s nothing like going 
fishing to quiet one’s nerves.” 

“ Oh, goody, Uncle Sam ! After supper ! ” 

“ In the dark ? ” said Trudy. 

“Sure,” shouted Timothy, standing on his 
head. “ We’ll go for horn-pout, shan’t we ? ” 

“ That’s the idea,” agreed Father, “ and if 
Mother doesn’t want to go, we’ll take Francis.” 


196 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

Mother said she had some mending to do, so 
the children ran up to ask Miss Margaret if 
Francis might go fishing. 

Francis was on crutches now, and well enough 
to ride in the carryall. Father drove up for 
him right after supper. The other children had 
spent the afternoon digging worms for bait, and 
they called to him, “ Oh, Francis, we've got 
heaps of worms." Mr. Johnston had come out 
to put Francis in the carryall and he said, 
“ That’s lucky. You’ll need a lot of bait. 
Those horn-pout are pretty shrewd. They will 
nibble at the worm and leave the hook when- 
ever they get half a chance.’’ 

“ I’ll bet they don’t strip my hook,’’ boasted 
Timothy. 

In the carryall were the tin bait boxes, the 
lines, and a lantern with a big reflector. 

“ What’s the lantern for?’’ inquired Francis. 
“ There’s a lovely moon to-night.’’ 

“ To attract the fish,’’ said Father. “ They 
come up to see what the bright light is, and 
then they discover our very tasty and inviting 
worms.’’ 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


1 97 

“ And then we catch ’em,” added Timothy. 

They drove back by the red farmhouse, and 
down to the road around the lake. They had 
had an early supper and it was not quite dark 
yet. The sunset had faded to a yellow glow, 
and against this they could see two birds flying 
high, with broad strong wings and long legs 
that trailed behind them. 

“ Oh, what are those birds ? ” said Trudy. 

“ Herons,” replied Francis. “ Another bird 
to add to our lists. I'll put them down for all 
three of us when I get home.” 

“ Here’s the boat,” said Timothy. " Where 
are you going to hitch the horse? I hope you 
didn’t forget the rowlocks.” 

But Father had them in his pocket, two pairs, 
and soon the horse was comfortably hitched on 
the sandy beach, and they were in the boat. 
Father and Timothy rowed. Francis sat in the 
stern, and Trudy in the bow. Father tied the 
lighted lantern onto a ring in the bow, and the 
reflector threw the light out over the water and 
left the boat in shadow. When he reached a 
good place to fish he carefully slipped the 


198 trudt and timothy 

anchor over the side. “ Now, don't talk," he 
whispered, “ and don't squeal if you get a bite. 
Let him nibble till you feel a good strong jerk 
— then yank him in." 

They baited their hooks and let out their 
lines. Then they waited. And waited ! The 
lines slipped away into the darkness. A bat 
darted about over their heads. The stars were 
very bright. Over the mountain a faint glow 
showed where the moon would rise. 

Timothy's line quivered. “ I've got one," he 
whispered loudly, giving a quick, sharp pull, 
but the line slackened and he drew in only an 
empty hook. 

Francis had said nothing, but steadily, slowly 
pulled on his line, then leaned over and with 
one jerk landed a flapping, squeaking monster 
right in the boat ! 

“ Oh ! " shrieked Trudy, shrinking away from 
the thing, “ that isn't a fish ! What has he 
caught, Father ? " 

“ Of course it's a fish. What's the matter with 
you ? He’s got a big one. Say, Francis, that's 
a beaut ! Can you take him off the hook ? " 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


l 99 

“ Wait,” cautioned Father. “ You have to 
learn to take horn-pout off the hook.” He 
raised the twisting, wriggling black creature up 
by the line until he could seize it with his other 
hand. “ Get your two first fingers on either 
side of his head — so — hold him firm and press 
the horns back with your other fingers and your 
thumb. Grasp him around the body that way, 
and if you're calm and steady he will never 
horn you. Those sharp bones back of his head 
make some pretty sore scratches, if you let him 
use them. Now take the hook out of his mouth 
with your left hand.” 

“ But what are those long black streamers?” 
said Trudy. 

“ Only feelers,” said Father, dropping the fish 
into the pail. 

“ Why don't you fish, Timothy ? ” he laughed. 
“ Here's another worm. Something stripped 
your hook clean.” 

Timothy baited his hook, and soon the fish 
were biting as fast as they could put the lines 
out. Trudy did not try to take hers off the 
hook, and she made up her mind that she 


200 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

would not eat any of the horrid black things. 
But when she saw the platter of snowy white- 
meated fish the next morning, and tasted horn- 
pout for the first time, she was very glad indeed 
that the fishing party had had such good luck. 
For they caught enough for both families, and a 
mess for Aunt Theresy besides. 

Next morning Timothy hunted up Mr. Blake. 

“ I don’t see how I’m going to get Trudy’s 
preserve out of the cellar,” he told him. “ I 
ought to take it down to the Town Hall to-day, 
and she will be sure to see me bringing it up. 
Then there’s all mine to go too. Uncle Sam 
says he will carry it all down for me, but what 
shall we do with Trudy ? ” 

“ Let me think ! How would it do to get 
Sims to take her to ride in the golden car ? ” he 
suggested. “ He will if I ask him. He can 
take Francis and Aunt Theresy. I suppose the 
Johnstons will be busy at the hall.” 

That settled all difficulties. At the Town 
Hall Bill and Amos had made banks of shelves 
all around the sides of the hall, and divided 
them into sections. Mr. Johnston had said that 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


201 


each exhibitor would have a section, but must 
arrange his own exhibit, and the arrangement 
would be taken into account as well as the 
quality, quantity and variety of the preserving. 

Timothy had all his jars and tumblers neatly 
marked, and now he dusted them off and packed 
them into boxes. Father made several trips to 
the Town Hail before he got them all there, and 
Timothy rode down on the first trip and then 
stayed to arrange them. First he covered his 
section of shelves with smooth white paper ; 
then he put the preserves and jellies on the 
shelves, the largest jars at the bottom and the 
smaller ones with the tumblers at the top. He 
tried, too, to have the colors look well. There 
were blue cans of blueberries, deep crimson 
tumblers of currant jelly, yellow orange mar- 
malade and the rich purple of grape. Every 
kind of fruit was represented. Each jar was 
carefully sealed, and every one was marked, 
“ Preserved by T. Todd.” At the very top of the 
pyramid of shining glasses, tacked on the wall, 
was a sign that read, “ This Exhibit is entered 
by T. Todd, of Todd's Ferry.” 


202 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


All the time that he was working the other 
boys and girls kept coming over and asking 
questions. They could not quite understand it, 
and Timothy did not do any explaining, but 
they took it for granted that it was Trudy’s ex- 
hibit. Belle Perkins told May Barnes that 
probably Trudy’s mother had helped her since 
she burned her hands, and it wasn’t fair, but May 
said Mr. Johnston wouldn’t give her any prize 
if that was so. Timothy wouldn’t answer when 
they asked him. He only laughed and said, 
“ If you know so much about it, there’s no need 
of my telling you anything ! ” 

He was so tired when he finished, late in the 
afternoon, that Grandmother would not let him 
do any chores, but gave him his supper on the 
end of the kitchen table and put him right to 
bed. And the moment he touched the pillow 
he was sound asleep, so that he never heard the 
big yellow automobile when it raced by. Mr. 
Sims brought them home without going through 
the village, so Trudy had no chance to see the 
exhibition until the next day, when every one 
would be there. 


CHAPTER XVII 


— THE EXHIBITION 

Every boy and girl jumped out of bed that 
morning without being called. It was Septem- 
ber seventeenth ! 

Belle Perkins had packed her preserves the 
night before, and her father took them down to 
the hall on the early stage. Two or three 
boarders were going away that morning, and 
Mr. Perkins cautioned each one of them to “ be 
careful of those boxes ! Those are my daughter’s 
preserves she has been making for the exhibi- 
tion. Too bad you can't stay for it. I under- 
stand it's going to be worth seeing." So when he 
stopped at the door to leave Belle’s boxes, the 
passengers got out and stepped into the hall to 
see what they could. They got a little idea of 
what it would be like from the stands for the 
jars and the decorations about the platform, and 
203 


204 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

they saw the whole exhibit of T. Todd. “ Why, 
there is one section all arranged,” they said. 
“ Doesn’t it look attractive ? ” but Mr. Perkins 
was in too much of a hurry to notice much about 
it, and only grunted “ M-mm, I guess some of 
’em did work yesterday afternoon. My daugh- 
ter is coming right down to fix hers up this 
morning. All aboard, now ! We’re late, as 
it is.” 

The Town Hall was full of business that 
morning. Mr. Johnston and Miss Margaret 
drove down with Mr. Turner and brought the 
bird lists and all Timothy’s photographs. Amos 
was on hand bright and early, with hammer 
and saw, strengthening shelves, bracing tables, 
and tacking dark green cambric on the walls 
where the photographs were to hang. Miss 
Margaret was on a step-ladder, arranging them, 
when May Barnes rushed over to her. 

“ Oh, Miss Margaret, have you seen Trudy 
Todd’s big exhibit ? When did she do it ? I 
thought she couldn’t do any more after she 
burned her arms ! ” 

Miss Margaret nearly fell off the step-ladder, 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


205 

she was so surprised, and the Santa Claus man 
stopped handing up photographs. 

“ Why, what do you mean, May ? Trudy 
hasn't any exhibit. The poor child feels very 
bad about it, too.” 

“ But she has — the sign says so, anyway. See 
it over there? ‘This Exhibit submitted by 
T. Todd.' See it? And there’s everything in 
it!” 

Miss Margaret and the Santa Claus man 
hurried across the hall to look, while May 
worked fast to arrange her own exhibit. There 
was an exhibit, as fine a showing of jellies and 
preserves as any there, just as May had said, 
and every glass marked “ Preserved by T. Todd.” 

Just at that minute Father and Mother and 
Trudy came in. They saw Miss Margaret and 
came over to greet her. “ Trudy, dear child,” 
she said, “ when did you make all this ? ” 

Trudy stared and stared. 

“Why, I didn’t,” she gasped. “I only did 
strawberries and raspberries and currants and 
a few cherries. And blueberries. I was just 
starting on them when I burned my arms. 


206 trudt and timotht 

Those aren’t mine I What does it mean?” she 
asked Mother. “ I don’t understand it.” 

“ What does it say, dear, on the jars ? Think 
a little.” 

Trudy looked at the jars ; at the labels that 
were like and yet not quite like hers. “ Oh — 
oh — oh,” she said, almost in a whisper. “ It’s 
Timothy I ” 

Miss Margaret looked at Father, who nodded. 
And the Santa Claus man had another severe 
attack of hay fever ; he coughed and sniffed and 
blew his nose. Trudy stood very still, looking 
at the jars and tumblers. Very well she knew 
how many hours of work over the hot stove 
they represented, and she remembered all Timo- 
thy had said about “ girls’ work.” Then she put 
her arms around Mother’s waist. “ Oh, Mother 
darling, it makes me want to cry, I’m so happy. 
Wasn’t it perfectly dear of him? Where is he 
now?” 

“Do you mean me?” said a voice behind 
them. “ I’m right here, if you want to thank 
me for anything.” 

And there was Mr. Blake, with Timothy. 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


20 7 

Bat Trudy did not even answer him. She ran 
to Timothy. 

“ Oh, Timothy, Timothy,” she said, hugging 
him tight, “ I think you are perfectly wonder- 
ful ! I never heard of anything like it I When 
did you do it? And how did you keep it a 
secret ? They look perfectly great ! ” 

“ Aw, quit it,” said Timothy. “ Don’t fuss. 
Aren’t we partners? I couldn’t let the firm get 
left, could I ? ” 

“Well, I shall tell every one all about it.” 

“ Now, you keep still,” ordered Timothy. 
“ This is my business, and I’m not willing that 
you should say a word about it unless I tell you 
to. You’ve got to promise that — and all the 
rest of you,” he added, turning to the grown 
folks. “ When I want folks to know, I’ll tell 
’em myself.” 

So, because they trusted Timothy and because 
they felt he had the right to make plans about 
his own work, they promised. But Stanley 
Blake turned around and grinned to himself. 
He had a little plan of his own about this very 
secret. 


208 trudt and timothy 


They had been standing away from the other 
people in the hall, and no one was near enough 
to hear what they said, but May Barnes was 
watching from the other side of the hall, and 
she grew suspicious. She didn’t know exactly 
what she suspected, but she noticed them all 
looking at the exhibit, and she did wonder 
what it all meant. She wondered, too, how 
Trudy could have done so much work with 
burned arms, with arms that were bandaged for 
several weeks. When Miss Margaret came back 
to finish hanging the photographs, May tried to 
question her, but she only said very quietly, 
“ I can’t tell you, May.” 

All day long the people of Todd’s Ferry and 
the boarders came in and out, looking at the 
exhibits and admiring them ; some people came 
two or three times. Miss Fields was very busy 
too, for nearly every one went over to the tea- 
room for refreshments. 

In the evening Amos and h:l\ moved the 
benches into place in the hall, and every single 
person who could possibly leave home came 
down to see the prizes awarded. Miss Fields 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


209 

closed her tea-room ; Mr. McAdam locked up 
the store and put a note on the door, “ Over at 
the Town Hall." The last man to come was 
Mr. Perkins, who had to go home and stable 
his horses, but he hurried back, and Belle and 
Mrs. Perkins kept a seat for him, way down 
front near Mr. Turner. 

Trudy had asked Mother what she should do 
if T. Todd's exhibit took a prize. “ Because," 
she said, “ I didn't do it all. Timothy ought 
to have half the prize." Mother had answered, 
“ Wait and see. There are plenty of exhibits 
just as good as that one." 

At eight o’clock every one was seated and Mr. 
Johnston rapped for order. On the platform 
with him were Miss Fields, Mr. Blake and Mr. 
Sims, and Miss Margaret. He called Mr. Turner 
up too, because he was on the school committee. 
The judges were there, of course ; two of the 
boarders who were teachers from a college of 
domestic science, and the head of the State 
Agricultural School. They had been working 
all the afternoon ; now all the people were 
looking at them and wondering who had 


2io TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


won the prizes. The judges were very careful 
not to let their eyes rest on any particular 
person in the audience. They stared straight 
ahead. 

“ Ladies and gentlemen,” said Mr. Johnston, 
“ you have known for a long time that the boys 
and girls of Todd's Ferry have been striving 
this summer to learn a very necessary branch 
of education, the preservation of food ; not alone 
for the prizes which have been offered in this 
connection, but, I feel sure, for their own 
pleasure in gaining valuable knowledge. To- 
night we see on all sides the result of their 
labors. They themselves, and we, their friends, 
are proud of these splendid exhibits, so well 
prepared and so finely arranged. I feel sure 
that not one of them regrets his busy summer. 
And although but two of them may win prizes, 
the rest will not have labored in vain. The 
inspiration of the work is theirs, and,” he 
laughed as he looked around at the loaded 
shelves, 11 they will have a lot of good jelly and 
jam to eat even if they can't go to Washington. 
I take pleasure in presenting to you Mr. Henry 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


21 I 


Snowden Watters, of the Agricultural School, 
who will award the prizes.” 

Every one clapped. Mr. Watters rose, bowed 
to Mr. Johnston and to the audience. 

“ Friends,” he began, “ it has been very hard 
for your judges to make a decision. These ex- 
hibits are fine, and of very even quality. We 
have worked earnestly and long. Each one of 
us judged the exhibition independently, but 
when we compared our results we found that 
we had all three reached the same conclusion. 
Therefore you may feel assured that we have 
really picked the best of an exceptionally fine 
collection. The judges award the first prize — a 
trip to Washington, as announced at the begin- 
ning of the competition, to — Miss Belle Per- 
kins ! ” 

Oh, how they clapped ! And stamped ! And 
shouted ! Belle stood up and whispered, 
“ Thank you,” but her knees shook so that her 
father had to stop clapping and put his arm 
around her. Trudy clapped, but it hurt her 
tender hands, so she said to Timothy, “ Clap 
awful loud, you know, that funny way, and 


212 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


make enough noise for us both.” Timothy 
whispered, “ Oh, shucks, I wanted you to have 
first prize.” 

Mr. Watters was speaking again. 

“ And the second prize — also a trip to Wash- 
ington — has been unanimously awarded to — we 
do not know whether we should say Miss or 
Mister— T. Todd ! ” 

“ Trudy Todd — Miss Trudy Todd,” called 
Timothy from his seat. And then there was 
another time of clapping. They waited for 
Trudy to stand up and say thank you, but she 
was hiding in Mother’s arms. “It isn’t fair,” 
she was saying to her over and over. “ I didn’t 

do it, and I don’t like it Oh, Mother, I 

shan’t go to Washington.” May Barnes was 
watching — watching — and then she suddenly 
remembered how queer and odd Timothy had 
been all summer, not playing on the ball team, 
and going away by himself day after day. “ I’ll 
bet Timothy had a hand in that mess,” she said 
to Dave Little. 

Mr. Blake whispered to Mr. Johnston, who 
rapped on the table. The judges were looking 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


213 

at him rather uneasily, but he only said, “ Mr. 
Blake, who is to furnish our entertainment this 
evening, has requested permission to show a 
series of moving pictures at this time. This 
picture has been especially taken by Mr. Blake 
for government work and will be exhibited in 
all parts of the United States. I consider that 
Todd’s Ferry is very fortunate in seeing the first 
presentation. Now, Mr. Blake says he wants to 
use the wall behind this platform, so we will all 
come down where we shall be out of the way, 
and where we can enjoy the picture with the rest 
of you/’ 

The people on the platform found seats, and 
Mr. Blake asked that the lights be turned off ; 
then from the gallery at the back of the hall 
where he had set up his moving-picture ma- 
chine, he said, “ I have not yet named my pic- 
ture, so I cannot announce it, and I think you 
will like to see the characters for yourselves.” 

There was a hissing and sizzling and on the 
wall appeared a great square of golden light ; 
then, in the brightness came sunny fields and 
hills, and the audience saw Trudy, picking blue- 


214 TRUDT AND T 1 M 0 THT 

berries in the pasture that used to be the Muster 
Field, and every one said, “ Oh-h-h,” and sat up 
straight to see what was coming next. What 
came was Trudy in the summer kitchen, with 
pans and kettles and baskets of berries, and she 
measured sugar, and put syrup on to boil ; she 
looked into the stove and went to the wood-box 
and put in more wood under the kettle ; she 
scalded her jars ; she turned to test the boiling 
syrup — she lifted the kettle from the stove — 
such a long gasp from the audience when she 
slipped and fell and the kettle tipped ! Mr. 
Turner said “ Gracious mighty ! ” just as if he 
felt that steaming syrup himself. And they saw 
Timothy rush in and kick away the hot kettle, 
and now it was Timothy’s turn to sit up and 
say, “ Oh ! ” And across the hall he heard 
Claire giggle, so he knew that she had taken 
his clothes and acted it out for Mr. Blake. He 
knew, too, what was coming next, and turned 
to shake his fist at the back of the hall, but 
what was the use? Stanley Blake couldn’t see 
him, and the people were clapping so loud that 
no one noticed his actions at all. 



THE AUDIENCE CAUGHT THE IDEA 




OUT-OF-DOORS 


215 

Now it was Trudy in bed, all bandaged, and 
then the blueberry patch again, but the figure 
coming across the pasture this time was Timo- 
thy with his Chinese coolie berry boxes ; and 
now at last the audience caught the idea and 
thought they knew of course what was coming. 
But they did not see Grandmother's kitchen, as 
they expected ; it was the shed ! Timothy com- 
ing in with his berries, climbing the stairs to 
the shed-attic, the secret door — and didn't every 
boy make up his mind right then and there to 
go up and see that door the very next day — 
Timothy climbing through ; the dark attic room 
in the house and the door under the eaves ; then 
Timothy's own room and the scurrying down- 
stairs into the kitchen and into the back room ; 
Timothy in a big apron, the preserves that were 
made so secretly — then the picture faded, Mr. 
Johnston snapped on the lights, and every one 
clapped and laughed and talked, all at the same 
time. From every part of the hall, the children 
who had taken part in the contest rushed to 
Trudy and Timothy and began to ask questions. 
Oh, there was such a racket that no one heard 


21 6 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

a word that Mr. Johnston and Stanley Blake 
and the judges were saying over in the corner. 
And Mr. Johnston had to shout and shout, “ Just 
a minute, please — quiet, please — just — a — min- 
ute 1 ” Finally people began to notice him, 
and to say, “ Sh-shh ” — and then everybody 
nudged somebody, and at last it was quiet. 

u I want to say something,” called Mr. Johns- 
ton. And they were all eager to hear what he 
had to say. 

“ I’m very glad that you like Mr. Blake’s pic- 
ture. He is very glad, too, I know. He says 
he took it to use in educational work for the 
government, and I’m sure he will use it a great 
many times, but I believe there was another 
reason why he made this particular picture. 
Perhaps some of you may think as I do. My 
idea is that he wanted to show you people of 
Todd’s Ferry what a certain boy has been doing 
for his partner who was hurt and couldn’t fin- 
ish the work she had begun ; a boy who did 
not want to enter this contest because he didn’t 
want to do what he considered ‘ girls’ work,’ 
but who, when his friend was sick and unable 


OUT-OF-DOORS 217 

to do it herself, gladly gave up his own vacation 
pleasures, his own sports with the other boys, to 
carry on this same * girls’ work,’ in order that 
she might not lose her chance at the prize she so 
earnestly desired to win. Now, you remember 
that one of the conditions of the contest was 
that each contestant must do his own work, 
without help. You have all seen that Timothy 
has helped Trudy, therefore, the judges, Mr. 
Blake and myself, have talked the matter over 
and have decided that the only fair way to award 
this second prize — no matter what has already 
been said — is to let all you who took part in the 
competition hold a meeting right now and make 
the award yourselves. Only if you decide it 
shall go to some other exhibit, because of 
the help given by Timothy, we ask you to 
consult with the judges before making the 
award.” 

The grown folks just sat still and watched the 
meeting up at the back of the hall. It didn’t 
last very long, and May Barnes made the report 
of it. 

“ We have decided that T. Todd’s exhibit de- 


21 8 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


serves the second prize/ 7 she said clearly ; “ any- 
body can see that those preserves are away ahead 
of any of ours. The ones that Trudy made are 
splendid, but Timothy's are fine, too. And we 
want to say we don’t think it is fair for Trudy to 
have all the prize when Timothy did so much 
work that he didn’t like ; so couldn’t the prize 
be divided somehow ? We’d all like to have 
Timothy get one too.” 

“ Oh, yes,” cried Trudy, but Timothy jumped 
up, very indignant. 

“ I won’t take any prize or any part of a 
prize,” he said. “ I didn’t do it to sneak in and 
get anything. I said I wouldn’t go into the 
contest and I meant it, only when Trudy 
couldn’t use her hands, I just used mine to do 
the things she couldn’t — that’s all there is to it. 
But I’m awful glad you want Trudy to have 
that trip to Washington, and I think you’re all 
just all right ! ” 

“ Now, Trudy, come up and say thank you,” 
said Mr. Johnston. 

Trudy was so nervous and shaky that Francis 
offered to lend her his crutches, but she man- 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


219 

aged to stand up on the seat and murmur a 
“ Thank you all very much,” and everybody 
was just as well satisfied as if she had made a 
speech. They knew she was just as pleased as 
she could be, and when Mr. Turner jumped up 
and turned around to face the audience and 
shouted, “ Now — three cheers for the partners ! ” 
there was so much racket that you couldn’t hear 
your own cheers — it was just one tremendous 
noise, all made up of happiness and friendly 
feelings. 

People didn’t really know whether there was 
any more entertainment or not, so they waited a 
minute or two to see what would happen next ; 
and what did happen was this. Mr. Blake 
called Amos, and they brought in the big camera 
and set it up before the winning exhibit of T. 
Todd. 

“ Mr. Turner,” laughed Stanley Blake, “ much 
obliged for naming my picture — I’ll call it 
‘ Partners,’ and now, friends, I’m sure you all 
want to see me take the final scene. I couldn’t 
really finish the picture until this secret was 
out. Come on, you two T. Todds, and pose for 


220 TRUDT AND TIMOTHT 

the last scene. Don’t be frightened, any one ; 
I’m only going to take a flash-light.” 

He placed Trudy and Timothy on either side 
of the pyramid of tumblers and jars. 

“ Look pleasant, please,” he said, “ and look 
at each other. Then the flash won’t scare your 
eyes shut.” 

They were both too excited and happy to do 
anything but laugh, so the picture was success- 
fully finished. And after a while every one 
went home. 

Next day Stanley Blake came up to see Tim- 
othy. 

“ Guess I’ll pay you what I owe you,” he said. 
“ I’ve figured it out at regular rates, and here’s 
your money. Please sign this receipt.” 

Timothy took the receipt in to the desk where 
the ink was, and Grandmother came out from 
the kitchen to see that he signed his name 
neatly and did not make a blot. 

He spread his legs wide apart, gripped the pen 
hard, screwed up his mouth and wrote on the 
dotted line “ Timothy Todd.” And then he 
looked at the figures on the receipt — at the bills 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


221 


with yellow backs that Stanley Blake was put- 
ting in his hand. 

“ Oh, mighty ! ” he gasped, just like Grand- 
father. “ Fifty dollars? ” 

“ Yes. Isn't that satisfactory ? It is what 
your time was worth.” 

Stanley Blake spoke soberly, but his eyes 
twinkled. 

“ Fifty dollars — say, isn't that enough for a 
trip to Washington ? ” 

“ I should say it was,” replied Grandmother. 

“ Gee ! ” breathed Timothy. 11 Well, I said 
I'd go if I wanted to, and now I want to ! ” He 
made a great dive at Mr. Blake and hugged 
with arms and legs both. “ Say, Stanley, — 
you 're — a — peach. ' ' 

The next Monday school began. In a few 
days the moving picture people went away, 
some to Florida to work during the winter, 
some to California. Stanley Blake wrote from 
Washington that he should be busy there for a 
few months. The whole busy, exciting summer 
began to seem like a dream. Francis was still at 


222 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 


the big house with the Johnstons, but of course 
they would soon leave for Washington. The days 
flew by, and before they knew it, came October. 

October, — cold, snappy mornings when chil- 
dren must step lively with the chores before 
going to school, and when Dilly and Snowball 
curled up in furry balls behind the stoves until 
the sun dried up the heavy dews ; warm, sweet- 
smelling short days when the sun seemed 
bright, but was really hardly strong enough to 
take a good picture ; cold, shivery nights, with 
thousands of sparkling stars, and now and then 
the faint flickering ribbons of the Northern 
Lights ! 

“ Timothy,” said Trudy, one day on the way 
home from school, looking at the hills, all 
brown and red and gold with autumn leaves, 
“ it’s almost winter. When do you think we 
shall go to Washington? ” 

“ I don't know. I suppose, when they want 
us, Mr. Johnston will send word, and Grand- 
father will put us on the train, just as Uncle 
Sam sent you up to Todd's Ferry from Boston, 
— only, this will be a longer trip.” 


OUT-OF-DOORS 


223 

They could see the big white farmhouse 
now. The tall maples in front were a blaze of 
scarlet. Amos was crossing the road from the 
barn. He saw them and beckoned. 

“ Hurry up I " he shouted. “ Something to 
show you I " 

They ran up the road, and followed him into 
the house. In the front room they could hear 
voices. 

Grandfather's voice, “ Well, well, bless my 
stars, isn't that fine, now ! " 

Grandmother's voice, “ Don't let him do it 
too long." 

Mr. Johnston's hearty laugh. 

Miss Margaret’s voice, “ Here they are ; come 
in, you two Todds." 

And as they reached the door, Francis, walk- 
ing without crutches, crossed the room to meet 
them ! Moving slowly, but strong and steady, 
not even holding onto a chair or a table, Francis 
— really walking ! 

And before they could speak, before they 
could begin to tell one of the happy plans that 
flashed into their minds — all the things to do, 


224 TRUDT AND TIMOTHY 

now that Francis could really walk — came 
Amos’ voice. 

11 Something to tell you, too. Speak up, 
Francis ! ” 

Then Francis, with an arm around each of 
them, was saying : “ Isn’t it great ? We’re not 
going back to Washington for ever so long ! 
The French doctor says I’m doing so well, he 
wants me to stay right here in the country and 
get lots of strength. Mr. Johnston and Miss 
Margaret are going to stay, too. We’re going to 
live in Todd’s Ferry this winter, and by and 
by, when the time comes, Trudy and Timothy 
and Belle, and all of us, will go to Washington 
together I ” 


The Stories in this Series are: 

TRUDY AND TIMOTHY 

TRUDY AND TIMOTHY OUT-OF-DOORS 

TRUDY AND TIMOTHY, AND THE TREES 

(in press) 

















































4 



